


Let go of that Navi! I'll do it myself!

by RubieKanary



Category: Rockman | Mega Man - All Media Types, Rockman.EXE | Mega Man Battle Network
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Futanari, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-03
Updated: 2019-04-06
Packaged: 2019-04-17 20:46:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 262
Words: 363,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14197389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RubieKanary/pseuds/RubieKanary
Summary: Rockman gets thrown into the past before WWW had even formed. With his knowledge of future events, he sets out to stop things before they can occur in order to save everyone. Eventual Forte/Rockman.





	1. Chapter 1 (Prologue)

**Author's Note:**

> I've wanted to write this fic for a long time now to be honest. I've seen so many fics in other fandoms where a character time travels back to the past and saves everyone by having foresight of what was going to happen and becoming super over-powered in the process. So I wanted to try my hand at this kind of fic with Rockman.
> 
> Also, I didn't know you have to wait like 15 days to join AO3, so you AO3 people get a bunch of chapters at once.
> 
> Since this fic is written mostly for self-indulgence, all of the things covered within the fic is going to be heavily based on my own personal preferences. So here's a huge list of warnings before you proceed with the fic.
> 
> 1)Rockman from the manga is thrown back into a slightly different past which combines elements from the manga, anime and games.  
> 2)Pairing is Forte/Rockman. There is a hint of Forte/Serenade in the beginning but after that it dives straight into Forte/Rockman hell. Side pairings may be introduced along the way.  
> 3)Porn is probably going to be a reoccurring thing in this fic, with trans main character. So Rockman has both male and female parts.  
> 4)There is also a possibility of Mpreg in the future.  
> 5)Rockman becomes really overpowered. Forte is overpowered, too, but he's always been overpowered in the games so…  
> 6)I'll try to keep all the characters in-character as much as possible, but when pairings are involved, there's always bound to be OOC, so…  
> 7)No OCs will appear, but characters from other Rockman games aside from EXE may make an appearance.  
> 8)Possible crossover with a certain game in the future.
> 
> That's all the big things I can think of right now. If nothing above particularly erks you, then you may continue on with this fic. Just don't say I didn't warn you.

The last thing Rockman remembered was the core of the Cybeast exploding as it was destroyed, taking himself with it. He had the foresight to cancel out of full syncro with Netto, so at least the brunette would be safe.

Rockman couldn't quite say the same for himself. He had hoped to see his operator grow up, but he knew he couldn't let the boy be sacrificed along with him.

' _I'm sorry, Netto-kun.'_  The blue Navi smiled sadly.  _'But I guess this is it for me.'_

Rockman shut his eyes as the explosion engulfed him. But instead of searing pain, the Navi felt nothing instead. Cautiously, he opened his eyes to find that time around him seemed to have stopped, and hovering before him was a familiar half-transparent figure.

"Serenade!" Rockman was beyond surprised. He thought Serenade had been deleted during the Undernet Navi's final encounter with Forte. "You're… you're still alive?"

"Not for long." Serenade seemed resigned. "Even as we speak, my strength is quickly fading. I will disappear entirely before long."

"Serenade…" The blue Navi frowned. It was his fault that Serenade had been deleted. He hadn't been strong enough "I'm sorry."

Serenade shook his head. "Don't be. It was not your fault. My time may be up, but yours is far from over, Rockman."

"What? But… I was just about to be…"

"Rockman." Serenade's gaze met Rockman's as he began sternly. It was one of those rare times that Serenade became serious. "I need you to do something for me."

That made the blue Navi pause. What could he do that the other navi could not? "What is it?"

"Please…" Serenade gritted his teeth. "Please, save Forte."

The request hit Rockman hard. With his fight against the Cybeast, Forte had given the last of his strength to Rockman that had allowed him to continue fighting and win against the Cybeast. It was doubtful that the dark Navi was still alive at this point. "Serenade… I…"

Serenade cut him off with a laugh. "I trust you to help him, Rockman, in a way that I could not. You can save him, whereas I have failed."

"W-what do you mean, Serenade?" The blue Navi was visibly confused.

"It's okay. You'll understand what I mean soon enough." The Undernet Navi gave him one last smile. "Now, with the last of my strength…"

Rockman wanted to stop him, to ask him what he really meant, but he was once again engulfed within a bright light.

* * *

"W-where am I?"

When Rockman reopened his eyes, he realized that he was definitely nowhere near the place where his battle with the Cybeast had taken place. In fact, it seemed that he was back in the net, though it wasn't any place he recognized.

' _I should probably ask around, to get an idea of where I am.'_  He decided, and began to walk around the area. Still, it took him longer than expected before he found another Navi.

"Excuse me," The blue Navi said as he approached the other. "I think I'm lost. Would you mind telling me where I am?"

The Normal Navi grunted, annoyed. "You're in Den City's net."

"Den City? B-but… What year is it?" If this was indeed Den City, then it had changed quite a bit. Rockman hoped he hadn't been blasted into the future.

"It's 19XX." The Normal Navi rolled his eyes. "Sorry, but I have more pressing things to do." He said, then left hurriedly before Rockman could ask anything else.

' _19XX?'_  Rockman was still stunned at this realization.  _'But that would mean Netto-kun and everyone else still hadn't existed yet!'_

Rockman sighed, slightly defeated.  _'Is this what you had meant to do, Serenade? To send me back in time?'_  He wished he knew what Serenade was trying to do. He wouldn't be so lost then.

Before he could continue pondering his own thoughts, the blue Navi jumped as he heard the familiar sounds of viruses approaching. He turned to see a group of Beetanks growling as they approached him. Briefly, Rockman was surprised to see so many at once, especially in such a populated area such as Den City's net, but he supposed that if this was indeed 19XX, security probably isn't as advanced as it will be in 20XX.

Slightly nervous, Rockman summoned his rock buster. Normally, he could handle these viruses without much of a problem, but…

He was severely handicapped by the fact that he was missing his operator.

Rockman dodged out of the way as the first of the Beetanks fired their shots at him. Quickly, he retaliated by shooting several of his buster shots at the virus, but as expected, it didn't put much of a dent on its armor. Another Beetank fired its shot, and the blue Navi only barely managed to roll out of the way of the second shot.

He cursed internally. He needed something more powerful than his buster if he wanted to stand a chance against these viruses.

Rockman watched as the third Beetank fired at him, as if it could tell that the blue Navi wouldn't be able to dodge out of this one. Wincing, Rockman crossed his arms in front of him and braced for the impact. But something unexpected happened.

The shot  _curved_. Instead of hitting its intended target, it changed its trajectory, and landed several feet away from the navi, leaving him unharmed. Both Navi and virus were stunned by this turn of events.

' _That was Serenade's special ability!'_ Rockman quickly realized. He couldn't believe it.  _'Was Serenade behind this as well?'_

He wasn't given much time to think about this before the fourth and final Beetank decided that it would have a shot at the blue Navi as well. Rockman watched as the projectile sped towards him, but this time, he was prepared. Standing his ground, the Navi tried to replicate the feeling that briefly washed over him when he curved the previous shot, sensing the wave of energy produced by the projectile blast and trying to  _redirect_  it…

This time, the shot did a complete one-eighty, and ricocheted back towards the Beetank, its own shot penetrating its armor and deleting it in one fell swoop before it even realized what had happened.

Seeing the other viruses stunned, Rockman turned and ran, not wanting to push his luck any further than he had to.

* * *

It was only when Rockman was sure that he'd lost the viruses chasing him that he stopped and allowed himself some time to think about the events that had occured. He sat behind a data cube and began to mule over recent events in his mind.

If he understood correctly, Serenade had sent him back in time, to the year 19XX, way before everything he knew had happened. He also seemed to have gained Serenade's special ability to deflect shots, or Serenade had given him his own ability before he disappeared. It was either one of the two.

Then, there was the other thing that Serenade had talked about.

' _What did he meant when he said "Save Forte"?'_  The blue Navi wondered, thinking of the possible things Serenade could have meant.  _'Forte did became a Darkloid later. Did Serenade want me to save him from becoming one?'_

If so, wouldn't sending him directly before the Darkloids got ahold of Forte's data and reprogrammed him into a Darkloid be enough? Rockman shook his head. It was all so confusing.

" **ALERT! ALERT! SECURITY BREACH IN SCILAB MAINFRAME! ALL SECURITY NAVIES REPORT TO SCILAB MAINFRAME IMMEDIATELY!"**

The loud announcement once again jolted him out of his musings, but it left him wondering as well.

' _I didn't realize I had entered the SciLab computers. I was just trying to get away from those viruses.'_

Curious but cautious, Rockman peeked out from behind the data cube he was behind. It appeared that the source of the commotion was not far from where he was. Already, he could tell that several security Navies had been downed. They were lying on the floor, with damaged data dissipating into nothing as the chaos continued.

' _This doesn't look good.'_  Rockman thought to himself.  _'The SciLab Navies seem to be completely overpowered. Whoever's doing this must be really good.'_

"You!" Rockman heard one of the Navies shout. "I don't know what you're trying to play at, but stop it right- gGGHHHAAAAAARRGH!"

The Navi was subdued before he could even finish his sentence. Rockman watched, half in horror, half in awe, as he was tossed across the floor effortlessly.

"Weak."

Rockman jumped as the security Navi's arm was stepped on, snapping instantly with a loud crunch.

"Useless!"

The Navi was then kicked aside. Breathing in nervously, Rockman took a look at the figure who had caused such mayhem, and wasn't prepared to recognize the Navi responsible for this chaos.

"Forte!" Rockman gasped. He continued to observe quietly as Forte approached the downed Navi.

"Is this all SciLab's top security has to offer?" Rockman heard the red-eyed Navi muse as he stepped on the Security Navi once more. "What a joke… At this rate, anyone could have hacked into SciLab's computers."

Rockman swallowed as he watched the scene unfold or, more specifically, at Forte. If Rockman still doubted that he was in the past, he would have been corrected by now. The ebony Navi was clearly missing his trademark cloak, and the way he held himself had a certain sense of gracefulness to it as well, instead of the pure sense of rage and brutality Rockman had been so used to in the future.

This was obviously Forte when he was younger. But what was he doing, attacking SciLabs?

As he contemplated whether to come out of his hiding spot and attempt to stop the red-eyed Navi from continuing his rampage, another voice sounded out through the network.

"That's enough, Forte!" Rockman looked towards the source of the voice and saw what appeared to be a human male in his early thirties. "Stop this instant and apologize to everybody!"

Forte looked towards the man as well. "Doctor Cossack!" He said. Rockman was surprised once again. He'd thought Forte loathed all humans, but the blue Navi couldn't even sense an ounce of hatred in his eyes. In fact, he would say that Forte looked at that man… Cossack, with admiration.

"It's no use, Cossack!" Rockman could here the other humans, probably SciLab scientists, say. "He won't listen to us! He only thinks that he's correct-"

"...I'm sorry, everyone…" The black Navi said. This time, Rockman wasn't the only one that was shocked. It appeared all of the other SciLab scientists weren't expecting Forte to actually apologize.

All except for doctor Cossack, who just laughed. "Good! Good! You're a good child, Forte! Don't let anyone tell you otherwise!" He then turned to the other scientists. "You can all forgive him now, right?"

One of the other humans didn't look convinced. "But doctor Cossack! He-"

"Frote never meant any harm." Cossack cut the other off before he could continue. "He only meant to show you the flaws in your security, isn't that right, Forte?"

Rockman could only watch in silent awe as the red-eyed Navi nodded politely. This younger Forte was so different from the one he'd known; the Forte he knew would rather be deleted than he associated with humans, while this Forte not only seemed to listen to humans, but seemed to genuinely want to help them, in his own unusual way.

It made Rockman wonder what had happened to Forte that had caused him to become that Navi he was today… well, in the future. Rockman had an idea as to what it was. Forte had talked about being betrayed by the humans in one of their first encounters before. The blue Navi just wasn't sure what it was exactly that caused such a drastic change in the other Navi.

"Itf that is all," Cossack now addressed Forte. "Forte, I know you mean well, but you'll tell us before doing anything like that again, alright?"

"Of course, doctor." Forte smiled.

"..."

Rockman took a moment to gather himself. What he had witnessed just now was a lot to take in. He knew Forte had probably been a different Navi before the "betrayal" he said had occurred, but Rockman could never imagine the change to be this big. Carefully, he retreated back into Den City's net before anyone could discover him lurking around in the SciLab computers.

Meanwhile, Forte snorted internally as he felt the presence of the hiding Navi gradually faded before disappearing entirely. Hmph. SciLab's security must be worse than he had originally thought if even Navies could make it past them unnoticed.


	2. Chapter 2

After coming to the realization that he was permanently stuck in the past, and there was not much he could do about that, Rockman fell into a sort of steady schedule in the following few days.

During the night, he would wander around Den City's mostly deserted net and practiced his newly gained ability against wandering viruses. The blue Navi found that while curving or redirecting projectile shots weren't as hard as he had originally thought, it still took a considerable amount of effort and concentration if he wanted to redirect a shot in the specific location that he wanted, especially if the projectile shot was a powerful one. Rockman found that he could reflect normal canon or buster shots with relative accuracy and precision, but he wasn't sure if he could do so with stronger shots like HiCanon or multiple shots like Shotgun. It was a good way of defending himself, but he definitely needed a lot more practice before he would be a lot more confident relying on it in battles. There was no need to be cocky and risk himself getting hurt or deleted.

The blue Navi would then find a relatively secluded spot to fall into a sleep cycle and regain his energy afterwards, but after he woke up during the day, he would silently slip into the Scilab computers once more.

It probably wasn't a good idea, to enter the SciLab computers without permission to access them, but Rockman couldn't deny that after seeing Forte's younger version of himself, he was definitely interested in the black Navi's past.

Having familiarize himself with SciLab's network, Rockman easily dodged out of the way of security and made his way in without being detected by anyone. He would then quickly locate the Navi that we was searching for, and quietly observed him from a distance.

In the short span of a few days, Rockman believed he had a clear idea picture of what Forte was like when he had been younger.

From what Rockman could gather, Forte appeared to be created to find flaws in SciLab's security, thus helping them to improve their systems, which was why Forte was the first independent Navi to have been created- so that he could see and pick out the flaws that the humans could not.

' _That would also explain his Get Ability programme.'_ Rockman thought to himself.  _'Forte would need to be able to adapt and improve along with their security in order to help them realize what was still lacking.'_

While this gave Rockman an idea as to what the ebony Navi had been before he became the Messenger of Darkness, he found Forte's relationship with the humans- or, more specifically, doctor Cossack- much more interesting.

Because Forte genuinely seemed to like the humans.

Even at a distance, Rockman could still tell that Forte appeared to be watching a video recording of a baseball match in his downtime. The first time he'd seen it, the blue Navi could hardly believe his own eyes, but now he could safely determine that Forte had been interested in human culture.

Other things Forte appeared to be interested in were music, video games and comics. Rockman found himself grinning at the thought that Forte might have been something of an Otaku at one point of his life.

The thought also saddened him a bit, however.  _'Forte used to be so happy. I wonder what happened that had changed him so much?'_

Briefly, the blue Navi thought about Forte's relationship with doctor Cossack. He had also learned that Cossack was Forte's creator. Yet, the bond between them seemed to be more than creator and creation. As Rockman observed their interactions, he could tell that Cossack treated Forte as if he was his own child, and Forte-

Rockman was willing to bet his life that Forte in turn saw Cossack as his father. The look of trust and respect in his eyes was undeniable.

And it hurt Rockman to think that something had happened to sever such a bond.

' _Maybe this was what Serenade had meant?'_ Rockman thought to himself.  _'If I can figure out what happened, maybe I can stop it.'_

Nodding to himself, Rockman made his way to leave SciLab's computers once more as office hours were over. As he did so, the blue Navi noticed that it appeared several blind spots he had used to circumvent the security had Navies standing watch now.

' _I guess this means Forte's doing his job well.'_  Rockman thought silently. In the end, it took him longer to get back into Den City's net undetected, but he still managed. The blue Navi then fell back into his nightly routine of training against wandering viruses. Rockman found it a lot easier to reflect simple shots now that he'd been practicing with them constantly.

As he fell into another sleep cycle, Rockman briefly wondered what Forte would be up to the next time he saw him.

* * *

Whatever Rockman had expected, it certainly wasn't this.

"Finally. He's getting what he deserves for deleting so many security Navies."

"He's not so tough now. Those energy suppressors limit his powers down to just ten percent, you know."

Forte visibly scowled. Even Rockman couldn't resist gritting his teeth in anger as he watched the two security Navies attempt to provoke him while the dark Navi was clearly helpless- not only did he now wore suppressors on both his wrists and ankles, the red-eyed Navi also wasn't allowed out of the barrier he had been trapped inside.

Despite his growing frustrations, however, Rockman stayed put. He knew he couldn't just reveal himself right now. It would just lead to him getting in trouble without helping anyone. For now, he could only continue to observe as the scene played out.

The two security Navies left soon enough, apparently growing bored that they couldn't elicit any reactions out of the dark Navi. The holographic image of doctor Cossack appear just several moments later.

"Ah… Have you been behaving, Forte?" Cossack smiled as he addressed Forte, but Rockman couldn't miss the slight hint of sadness in his voice. "Forte… I'm so sorry to have to put you in this situation… But this is the only way to protect you. Do you understand?"

"Doctor Cossack…" The hurt was apparent in Forte's voice, but he quickly covered it up, smiling instead. "I… I've heard that humans find this sort of thing… fashionable." Forte changed the subject, gesturing to the energy suppressors on his wrists.

"Forte…" For a moment, doctor Cossack wasn't sure how to answer. "...It looks good on you, Forte. You sure have an eye for these things…"

It was at this point when Rockman stood up and snuck away. This was terrible. He couldn't bear watching on anymore.

Even so, Rockman was sure this wasn't the thing that had caused Forte's drastic change in perspective. The blue navi could still see that Forte still respected Cossack very much.

' _But if this wasn't it, then what was it?'_

Rockman had a feeling that he would find that out very soon.

* * *

Rockman continued with his daily visits to SciLab's network. The slack in security hadn't gone unnoticed by him.

His visits had gotten a lot less interesting and much more heartbreaking when all he could do was to watch Forte sit in his small cage miserably. The blue navi had to stop himself multiple times from just running up to the dark Navi, to tell him that everything was going to be alright. Doctor Cossack would drop in a check up on Forte regularly, but aside from that, Forte was left completely alone.

' _Maybe I should free him?'_  Rockman pondered, but quickly dismissed the thought. Doing so would only get Forte into more trouble than he already has. He wouldn't risk that.

However, just as he banished the thought, the barrier around Forte flickered, before sizzling out of existence, leaving the dark Navi free. The blue Navi frowned as he watched Forte look around, clearly just as confused as he was as to what had just happened.

' _I have a bad feeling about this.'_  Rockman thought to himself. He watched as Forte began to leave the area, probably to figure out what had happened.  _'I should follow him, just in case something goes wrong.'_

The blue Navi tailed Forte for a while, watching as the other Navi would stop momentarily in order to examine the scene around him. It would appear that the SciLab networks had been damaged badly. Rockman wasn't sure what had caused it, and he only got more and more uneasy as more time passed on.

Forte seemed to be saying something to himself- Rockman was too far away to hear him, but he did notice when the ebony Navi suddenly snapped to full awareness.

The blast directed at Forte was unexpected, and Rockman jumped a little at the loud sound that had resulted from the explosion the blast caused.

"Finally, you show your true colours!"

"What?" The voice surprised Rockman. He looked up and quickly glanced about, before realizing that Forte had been completely surrounded.

' _Those are the SciLab security Navies!'_  Rockman thought as he ducked behind a data cube.  _'But why are they all appearing here…?'_

Then, the blue navi jerked when he came to a suddenly conclusion.

' _They… They didn't believe that Forte was behind this, did they?'_

"Today is the day you die, freak!" Emboldened by the fact that Forte had his powers severally hampered by the suppressors, the Navies rushed forward all at once, aiming their weapons at the dark navi.

But Forte wasn't going to take that lying down. Snarling, he summoned his own powers, taking out one of the more arrogant Navies that had rushed him in one fell swoop. "Arrogant fools!"

From his position, Rockman watched with growing worry as the fight dragged on, his core pounding heavily. He didn't doubt Forte's abilities, but…

' _There's too many of them.'_  He realized.  _'Forte can't last forever, especially with the suppressors. They'll overwhelm him with numbers.'_

Rockman clenched his teeth. Where was doctor Cossack, anyways? Did he know this was happening?  _'Any time now.'_  Rockman hoped, for Forte's sake.  _'Doctor Cossack is going to appear any time now.'_

By now, Forte had already defeated a sizable number of the Navies. He growled as he rendered yet another one incapable with another swipe of his hand. "Don't underestimate me!"

"Darn it! How is he still this strong?!" One of the Navies yelled.

"We'll get him!" Another yelled back. "He's limited by the suppressors- He can't fight forever!"

Just then, Rockman noticed one of the Navies gearing up for an ambush. The Navi summoned his sword, making a wild dash towards the red-eyed Navi, but Forte was preoccupied. The Navi drew closer and closer, and Forte still hadn't noticed him.

If the sword landed its mark, Forte was going to be deleted in an instant. The blue navi couldn't afford to wait for doctor Cossack to interveer anymore.

"Forte!" Rockman cried as he leapt out from his hiding spot. "Watch out!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might have gotten some of the names wrong since the manga I bought was in Chinese and I don't know the English equivalent so yeah.

It hurts.

Rockman winced. He was lying face first on the ground, not completely cognitiant of the series of the events that had transpired until just now.

Without any thought, he had just rushed out and pushed Forte out of the way of the slash, so the dark Navi was still very much fine, but…

He had ended up taking the brunt of the attack instead. Rockman winced in pain as he felt another stab of pain across his back. He didn't need to see it to know that he was very badly damaged.

Startled by the sudden appearance of another Navi, the ambusher stepped back. "An intruder? Wh-"

He didn't get to finish his sentence. Just then, the flash of a blade swept across his form, cutting the Navi wide open. All that remained was the Navi's loud screech as he was swiftly deleted. As the dust cleared, Rockman looked up from his position, gasping in surprise as he did so. Forte had somehow managed to deactivate the suppressors on his wrists and ankles, the remnants of data slowly dissipating and disappearing into nothing, but that wasn't the only thing that shocked the blue Navi.

Forte's other arm had transformed into the blade which the other Navi had attempted to use against him. Rockman already knew about Forte's Get Ability programme, having experienced it being used against him first hand when Forte copied his Ultimate form, but the almost instantaneous nature of how Forte was able to copy and absorb other Navies' abilities still managed to surprise him every time.

The dark Navi then turned to the other security Navies- with the suppressors gone and Forte having grown more powerful by absorbing one of their abilities, the tables have now turned. The group seemed to have realized this much.

But before either side can do anything, a series of explosions rang throughout the entire network.

"What happened?" One of the Navies yelled. "Where did these explosions come from?"

"They seemed to have been caused by a system error elsewhere!" Another one yelled back.

"You mean Forte wasn't the cause of those explosions?"

"Damn it, we've been had!" One of them came to the conclusion. "Everyone, plug out now!"

As soon as he finished, the Navies all plugged out in unison, leaving only behind the soft rumbling of the fading explosions and the two Navies behind. Rockman sat up slowly, bowing his head and sighing in relief.  _'Thank heavens, they've gone.'_

That was, until he realized that there was now a sword pointing directly between his eyes.

The blue Navi gulped nervously. Apparently, now that the major threat to his life was gone, the other Navi had decided to direct his attention towards him instead, and in his current state, Rockman couldn't even escape, much less fight the other Navi and survive. Slowly, he looked up, meeting Forte's gaze, trying to show the dark Navi that he wasn't a threat.

For a moment, Forte didn't say anything, only looking at Rockman with narrowed eyes. That was fair, the blue Navi decided. He would be suspicious, too, if some Navi he'd never seen more just happened to jump out of nowhere to save his life.

"You've got some explaining to do." Forte said finally.

It didn't appear that he would be getting out of this. "I don't mean any harm." Rockman clarified, hoping that Forte would maybe relax enough as to not be a single step away from ramming the sword through his head.

Thankfully, Forte seemed to consider this.

"Who are you?" Forte asked.

"I'm…" Rockman paused. If he existed in the future, it was going to be really weird to have two Rockmans running around. "I'm Mega."

His hesitation didn't seem to have gone unnoticed. Forte glared at him harder.

"...I don't know what you want." The dark Navi said, seemingly to have come to a conclusion. He lifted his sword slightly. "But I won't deny that you may have possibly saved him just now. For that, I will spare you. But if you appear in front of me again, I won't hesitate to delete you." Forte said. "Now get out of my sight!"

Rockman didn't have to be told twice. As much as he hated it, there was no way he would be convincing the other Navi otherwise. He scrambled to his feet and left as quickly as his damaged body could manage.

* * *

Forte didn't stay in the net for long. Once he had regained the strength he'd lost from his battle, he seemed to have found a way to enter into the undernet. Even though Rockman was hesitant to follow, especially since his own damage had yet to be completely healed, the blue Navi didn't want to let Forte out of his sight.

He mentally kicked himself for not noticing that something was wrong sooner, and for not doing more to prevent the events from happening. It seemed as if Forte was doomed to fall down into the spiral and hate and despair that his previous self had gone through.

' _Did I fail?'_  Rockman watched sadly at the now cloaked figure of the black Navi. He was now sure that Serenade had sent him back to prevent Forte from becoming the Navi he was in the future, but it seemed as if he was unable to stop it from happening. Forte was truly becoming the Messenger of Darkness that everyone had feared, growing more and more powerful with every opponent he deleted. Forte was strong, even before his change, but now Rockman doubted he could even lift a finger against what the dark Navi had become now.

Rockman didn't want that. Even in the future, he'd never wanted Forte to be miserable. He'd wanted to be the red-eyed Navi's friend. But after having seen Forte's childhood, the blue Navi was more determined to let Forte see that he didn't need to distrust everyone he saw. Forte had him now. It was only a matter of how he should go about letting Forte know that.

At least Rockman could still keep up with the dark Navi even in the Undernet. The paths in the Undernet weren't always stable, and were often broken down, leading to steep falls. Forte had discovered how to levitate earlier. Rockman had expected the other to lose him immediately, but the blue Navi discovered- quite accidentally, after nearly falling into a bottomless pit- that he seemed to have gained the ability to levitate as well. It was a feeling similar to wearing air shoes, but it required constant energy concentration in order to maintain his flight.

It was difficult to get used to, and the blue Navi was definitely much more comfortable walking, but at least that made it a lot easier to keep track of Forte.

Now, he just hoped he would get a chance to approach the other Navi, without risking the other deleting him instantly.

* * *

Forte was cornered again. Rockman found the scene similar to when Forte had been accused of something he had not done back in SciLabs, but he doubted that luck would favor him and allow his ambushers to be distracted by something elsewhere.

Not that he doubted Forte's abilities. Forte had definitely grown much more powerful since then. But Rockman still couldn't help but worry. Especially since the number of Navies surrounding him were much larger, and the fact that they were undernet Navies.

"Your legend as the Black Shadow ends today, Forte!" Rockman heard one of the undernet Navies declare. "Today is the day you die by the hands of the Red Army!"

Forte didn't say anything, only staring idly at them in return. As the self-proclaimed members of the Red Army leapt forward, Forte swung a hand at them, deleting a bunch of their numbers in a single instant. From afar, Rockman watched in awe at Forte's display of strength. It was impressive, especially considering the short amount of time it had taken Forte to get this powerful.

Silently, he watched the battle play out. As expected, the dark Navi didn't have any problems deleting the Undernet Navies, but…

Rockman frowned. The Undernet Navies looked too calm, giving the situation. They were losing the fight, but didn't seemed bothered by it in the least. The blue Navi suspected that something was up. Cautiously, he glanced around the area for several moments, before discovering the problem.

There was a large laser cannon, hidden behind the debris and rubble piled up within the Undernet. Those Navies must have known that there was no way they could win against Forte, even in their great numbers. That huge canon was probably an ambush they had set up…

The blue Navi grit his teeth in anger. Even he had wanted to beat Forte, to defeat the strongest Navi in the Undernet, but he would never stoop to using ambushes or cheap shots in order to win! He had done it, fair and square. However, it would appear that fairness was the least of those Undernet Navies concerns.

Rockman decided he wasn't going to let that happen. Quietly, he snuck around the battle and towards the cannon. If he could disable it before it could fire-

"He's in range! Fire!"

-Well, there goes that plan. The blue Navi only had seconds to make another decision before the laser cannon fired. He had been practicing, but not with projectiles this large before-

But if he didn't do anything, Forte would be caught in the blast. There was no way he would allow that. With a nod, Rockman jumped directly in the path of the shot, and raised both hands.

The instant the shot made contact, Rockman almost collapsed and lost his focus. It burned. The sheer force of the blast was too daunting, too much for him to handle-

' _No! I can do this!'_  Rockman told himself. He was shaking.  _'I just need to focus...!'_

There was an instant where the energy of the blast seemed to flicker, just for a moment, but it was all the blue Navi needed.

' _There!'_

With a loud cry, he used his strength to push back against the laser blast. The effect was immediate, and the shot was bounced back towards the cannon. The explosion caused on impact alarmed whatever Undernet Navies who were still alive. Unsure of what happened, but certain that they now stood no chance against the Black Shadow, they retreated.

Rockman nearly fell to his knees. It had taken nearly all of his energy to deflect that shot, but at least he'd done it. He sighed in relief.

Then, a hand grabbed his wrist.


	4. Chapter 4

It was Forte. Rockman jumped a little when he saw the other Navi staring at him with his red eyes. Briefly, Rockman wondered what the dark Navi wanted, but considering the pressure he had on his wrist was just enough to keep him from moving, Rockman allowed himself to relax slightly knowing that it was unlikely that Forte wanted to delete him right then and there.

"..." It took a moment for Forte to speak. "This is the second time now."

Rockman didn't know what to say. He watched as confusion and suspicion flickered in Forte's gaze.

Seeing his silence, Forte scowled. "What do you want?"

"I don't want anything." The blue Navi shot back.

"Why did you follow me, then?"

"I-" That made Rockman pause. He didn't know Forte realized that he had been trailing him. He had thought that he'd done enough to hide from the other Navi's sight. The realization made he think, though-

Sometimes, when Rockman had just been about to lose track of the other Navi for good, Forte appeared to slow down, or sometimes decided that he needed a rest, allowing Rockman to catch up with him. He had originally chalked that up to coincidence, or just him being extremely lucky, but now that he knew Forte had sensed his presence the whole time, Rockman was slightly hopeful that perhaps the other Navi wasn't as distant as he appeared.

Maybe he was even warming up to him, but Rockman didn't want to push his luck that far yet.

"I… I just wanted to help you." Rockman said. That was the truth.

Forte's expression didn't change. "I don't need your help."

"I don't care." Rockman insisted. "I still want to help you."

"..." Forte paused for a moment, and Rockman wondered if Forte would believed what he had said. "You're not afraid of me." It was a statement.

Rockman shook his head. "No, I'm not."

"You should be. You saw what I could do. I could have done it to you."

"But you didn't, did you?" The blue Navi questioned him. "If you knew that I was there the whole time, and that you could've deleted me easily, then why didn't you do it?"

That seemed to have caught Forte off guard. Indeed, if he had known the blue Navi was there, then why hadn't he deleted him yet?

Was it possible that Forte didn't want to delete him? Rockman hoped that it was.

"You say you want to help me?" Forte asked him. His gaze seemed less harsh now.

"I do." Rockman nodded.

Forte narrowed his eyes. "Can I trust you?"

Rockman assumed he was probably talking about the incident back in SciLab. As much as Forte tried to hide it, the blue Navi could tell that the other Navi was still very much hurt by the ordeal. Rockman could only imagine the betrayal he felt when the person he trusted the most didn't come to his aid in his time of need.

"I would never betray you, Forte." Rockman said, his voice determined.

"Never?"

The blue Navi shook his head. "Never."

Forte paused again in thought. Rockan was wondering if he had come to a decision when the dark Navi spoke again. "I could feel you this whole time, you know."

"Yes, I know that." Rockman touched the side of his face, slightly embarrassed that he hadn't realized that sooner.

"No, I mean, the entire time." Forte clarified. "I could feel you, when you first snuck into SciLabs."

...What?

"W-what?" Rockman was startled. He hadn't realized Forte had discovered his presence that early.

Forte looked to the side. "That first day, when you snuck in… I can't really explain it, but I knew you were there, just hiding around the corner."

"But… Nobody saw me, did they?" He hoped not. He was sure he'd stay way out of sight from all of the Navies there.

"No, I'm sure no one did, otherwise you wouldn't have been able to keep coming back." Forte shook his head. "In fact, I didn't see you, either."

"Then how…?"

"I could feel  _you_." Forte frowned, probably trying to find a way to clarify what he meant. "Ever since you appeared, I could always feel this… presence, behind my back. I didn't know who it was the first time I'd felt it, and it took me several days to recognize that it was you- Because you kept coming back."

So that's how Forte knew. But… "If you knew I was there, then why didn't you tell anyone? Technically, I was an intruder. Weren't you worried that I would have done something?"

"I considered it." Forte admitted. "...But I could also feel something else."

"What was it?"

"I'm not sure if I can explain this correctly, but…" Forte paused. "...You seem to have… human emotions."

The blue Navi was stunned silence. While Navies were programmed to experience basic emotions such as happiness, sadness, or anger, Rockman had been told that he was special for being able to experience the entire spectrum of the human emotion- concern, content, worry…

He wasn't sure if Forte could experience those feelings as well, but it would seem that he could tell if Rockman himself was experiencing them. That was definitely a surprise.

"Your emotions seemed to fluctuate a lot." Forte continued. "You could be… amused one moment." Rockman had probably been watching Forte cheering on a baseball team. "But then, it appears that you would feel… sad." Rockman remembered thinking about what had happened that had changed Forte so drastically at that moment. "But, I could never feel any ill-will from you. I could feel that you weren't intending to harm anyone, so I let you be." Forte stopped, then added, as if an afterthought. "Besides, you being able to sneak in every day just proved how bad security was."

"Forte…" Rockman wasn't sure how to respond to the other's confession.

"I might have gotten used to your presence." Forte murmured, as if he was unsure if he should tell the blue Navi this or not. "I wasn't sure what to make of it at first, but it felt… comforting, feeling you just at the back of my mind, especially after… that incident happened."

"..."

Rockman could now tell with much certainty that Forte hadn't want to put up with his ruthless facade in his past. The fear he had struck into the minds of many, and the way he had treated Rockman, with so much hostility- it was just a way to prevent people from getting too close. It wasn't because he believed that having someone held him down, or made him weak. He was just too afraid to be betrayed again. And now that he knew that Forte had wanted, like anyone else, to have someone there for them, he was more determined than ever not to let Forte go down the same path he had in his previous timeline.

As if sensing his thought, the dark Navi looked back at him. "...I'm still not sure if I can trust you yet." Rockman bit his lip. As much as he wanted Forte to open up to him, Forte's distrust was understandable. How would he had felt if someone he saw as a father had turned their back to him? "But… I suppose there is something you can do to prove that I can trust you."

"Wh-what is it?" Rockman asked, slightly nervous. He wasn't sure what Forte wanted him to do, but if he could show Forte that he was trustworthy… well, that would be worth it.

Forte was silent for a moment, before drawing himself closer to the blue Navi. "...During that time in SciLabs, I could feel something else." Then, the dark Navi raised a hand, running a thumb across Rockman's lips.

The blue Navi certainly hadn't expected that, and in his momentarily stunned state, the dark Navi took his opportunity to close the distance between them. Placing his hands on Rockman's cheek, he steadied the blue navi's head before planting a kiss on his lips.

Rockman's mind went blank. It wasn't until Forte drew back that he felt a series of emotions wash through him- shock, confusion... and something else that he wasn't quite able to make out.

But apparently, Forte had. The black Navi grinned. "As I suspected. You harbour something more than just feelings of friendship for me."


	5. Chapter 5 (H)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This entire chapter is probably going to be porn. Yeah.

Rockman reeled back in realization. Forte was now leering at him.

' _Oh god, oh god.'_

This wasn't supposed to happen. He had only been sent back to save Forte. How did this even happen?

Before he could delve on this further, the dark Navi lept at him, sending the two of them tumbling onto the ground. Forte was now leaning over him, both hands planted firmly besides him to keep him trapped.

"F-Forte!" Rockman's face flushed red instantly. "What are you… W-we… we can't…!"

"Why not?" Forte reached a hand up. Rockman's helmet was already cracked at the side from their run-in with the Red Army, so he had no trouble lifting it from the other Navi's head and tossing it to the side. The blue Navi's dark brown hair complimented his green eyes nicely. "You want this and I want this. I don't see any reason why we shouldn't."

"?!"

Did he want this? Or, more importantly, had he wanted this? Rockman tried to think back to his interactions with Forte in his previous timeline… Maybe. Maybe, he might have felt something towards the black Navi that was more than than just pure friendship or admiration, but the other had been so hostile and distant that Rockman would have settled with just being friends with him, and even then, that seemed to have been an unachievable thing.

The blue Navi was snapped out of his thoughts when Forte bit down onto the base of his throat, feeling a hint of fangs digging into his skin slightly. He yelped and jumped slightly, startled.

"You think too much." Forte said.

Rockman couldn't help but whine when Forte licked the place he'd just bitten. "B-but-! Wh-what if they come back?" Rockman was referring to the Red Army- he didn't want to be caught out here in the open.

"Not after what happened, they won't."

Somehow, during their short conversation, Forte had managed to move Rockman onto his cloak. The blue Navi's blush deepened when the other began to remove his skinsuit.

' _Oh god, this is really happening.'_

It wasn't long before Forte had him laying bare underneath him, and if Rockman had a heart, it would be beating twice as fast as it normally would by now. Looking up at Forte's crimson eyes, he felt nervous, slightly timid, and maybe a bit uncertain, but…

He wasn't afraid. Rockman trusted Forte not to hurt him.

The other seemed to have sensed this. "...I want to trust you." Forte told him, his eyes steady. "...But I need to see if you trust me, too."

Rockman nodded his head in understanding. It would be unfair if he only expected Forte to trust him without showing that he was willing to put just as much trust onto the other as well.

Slowly, Forte began to shed his own skinsuit. Rockman had fought with Forte multiple times before, but this was the first time he could clearly see Forte's physique up close. The blue Navi blushed as he saw the toned form of the other Navi, a bit of a contrast from his own slender form, but his focus was mainly drawn to the other's chest, where Forte's Navi emblem was.

Rockman left out a breath he didn't know he had been holding when he saw Forte's Navi emblem still intact. He remembered the shock and horror he'd felt when he saw the deep, jagged scar slashed across the other's chest, splitting his Navi emblem in half.

He was glad that, at the very least, he had prevented it from happening this time.

"What's wrong?" Rockman jolted slightly at Forte's voice. He still hadn't got used to the fact that the other Navi could pretty much read his emotions now.

"It's nothing." He said softly. "I'm just glad… it wasn't you."

Forte seemed to understand what he was referring to. "...You shouldn't have done that. You could have been deleted."

"It could have been you." Rockman argued.

Forte didn't reply. Now that his hands were free, he used them to trail down Rockman's sleek form. The blue Navi couldn't suppress a shiver as the other explored his body. One hand then reached down between his legs, attempting to get a feel of what was down there, but one of the fingers slipped into-

Both Navies stopped abruptly. Rockman was panicking internally; he'd never had any experience with anything sexual. He never even once checked what he had down there. He had just assumed-

Before Rockman could react, Forte had grabbed both his legs, spreading them apart. It took all but one look to confirm his suspicions.

"You…" The dark Navi swallowed, surprised by this development as well. "You have both parts…"

Rockman was breathing heavily now. He wasn't sure if it was possible for his face to get more red. "Please, don't… don't laugh..."

"Never." Once the initial shock had passed, it seemed that Forte was more fascinated by this than anything. "You look beautiful down there."

"Don't tease me!"

Forte just chuckled at his outburst. "Alright, as you wish."

Rockman made a small undignified sound when the first finger slipped in. He quickly latched onto the Navi above him, hugging the other's neck tightly as the full length of the finger curled inside of him.

"F-Forte!" Rockman whined as another finger slid in with the first, parting his insides softly.

"Relax." Forte told him as his fingers thrusted in deeper. The blue Navi shuddered when they pressed against a particularly sensitive spot within him. "I've got you."

In the following few moments, Rockman could only moan and whine as Forte pushed his fingers in and out of him expertly; the other Navi seemed to know the pace to thrust at, and what angle to push and curl his fingers to get a reaction out of the smaller Navi.

' _H-how is he so good at this…?'_  Rockman doubted Forte had any other partners before, even in his previous timeline. Not with Forte being so hesitant to let anyone close to him.

Rockman jumped as Forte pushed in with three fingers, spreading them apart widely just as his insides gave a harsh shudder. "You're too obvious." Forte told him, suddenly.

...Oh.

So Forte could sense more than just his emotions.

He wasn't allowed to linger on that thought any longer as Forte resumed his actions, stroking and touching his insides, parting his walls gently. It wasn't long before the blue Navi's insides became slick and willing around those fingers, not when the dark Navi could tell what he liked and enjoyed, not when Forte could pretty much read him like an open book.

Normally, it would be scary, to let someone else hold that sort of leverage over you. But Rockman didn't feel in the least worried. In fact, considering the circumstances, the knowledge that Forte could read him so accurately… excited him.

Rockman was a panting, withering mess by the time Forte withdrew his fingers, a trail of clear fluid sliding out from his opening as a result. The blue Navi panted as his insides clutched around nothing, as if expecting something else to enter and split them apart...

Then, he felt Forte's length push up against his slit.

"I'm going to fill you up now." The dark Navi breathed against his ear, grabbing the sides of his hips with both hands to steady him.

Rockman tensed. This was really happening. Forte was going to… to…

Holding onto the Navi above him, Rockman willed himself to relax. He then gave a small, hesitant nod to the other Navi. That was all the affirmation Forte needed to push his hips forward, completely plunging into the Navi below him with a single thrust.

"A-ah!" Rockman couldn't help himself. His insides were stretched wide, shuddering and clutching desperately as the entire length slid in. He cried out when the tip bumped against his deepest parts. "Forte…!"

The dark Navi hissed in return. "Mega…" Rockman blinked. It was the first time Forte had addressed him by name… well, at least, the name that he had given Forte. Rockman whimpered and gasped when Forte gripped his hips, pulling him in as he thrusted forward, causing the tip to grind against his opening in  _there…_

"Shit." Forte hissed again. "You're so warm and tight in there, Mega. It feels so nice inside you."

Rockman flushed, half in embarrassment, half in excitement. "F-Forte! Stop- A-ah! Hhn…!"

"I'm serious." Forte continued as he began to thrust in and out of him. Rockman whined with every inward push, the Navi above him managing to hit and grind against every one of his sensitive spots with every thrust. "You're clutching around me so tightly… I can feel your insides shivering whenever I push in and tighten around me when I pull out…" The dark Navi kissed his cheek. "You don't want me to stop, do you?"

"Forte!" The blue Navi couldn't handle it anymore. "Stop teasing me!"

Forte laughed, and kissed him again. "Alright, I'll play nice."

Then, he began to fuck in ernest.

Rockman's eyes widened as Forte sped up his pace, but still maintaining the same depth with every thrust. The blue Navi's body tensed up unwillingly, his insides clutching tighter, as if attempting to stop the offending length from splitting him so deeply, but his slick allowed the other to push in despite his tightness, allowing little to no resistance as his deeper entrance was repeatedly thrusted and grinded against.

"For-Forte!" It was too much. Rockman was sobbing from over-stimulation, his entire body shaking. He clawed at the other Navi's backside, but Forte still showed no signs of stopping. "Ah…! Hhn... a-ah!"

With a harsh shudder, Rockman came, white liquid splashed between the two Navi's abdomen as he climaxed. Forte groaned when he felt Rockman's insides clamp down even more.

"Almost there." He soothed the Navi sobbing below him. "I'm so close. Hold out just a little bit longer for me, alright?"

"P-please… Hhn!" Rockman cried harder. It was too much- too much-

Finally, after several more thrusted, Forte came with a low growl. Rockman's face burning red when he felt his insides being filled, a warm substance gushing in and pooling inside him snugly.

Both Navies panted, Forte still sheathed within the smaller Navi as they regained their breath. Rockman closed his eyes, the experience had been tiring as it had been exhilarating. He remained laying down, until he felt the other Navi nudge him.

"Mega?"

"...Yes?"

"Let's go another round."

Rockman's eyes snapped open in alarm.

"Forte! Wa- Hhn! A-aah…! S-sto- oh…"

Any further protests were drowned out by the sounds of moaning.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This is where the story probably starts to branch off from the manga and becomes a weird blend of the anime, manga and games. Also, does anyone know what the ship name for Forte and Rockman is? Hopefully it's not something stupid like "forkman" or something.

"I'm not that cold." Rockman protested as Forte pulled the hood back over his head.

"I don't want anyone else to see you." Forte said. Then, before Rockman could say anything, the dark Navi took his hand again. "Come. We must keep moving."

"..."

Deciding that he wouldn't be able to argue with Forte on this matter, Rockman relented. Sighing internally, he allowed Forte to lead him through the Undernet. He supposed that he would just have to get used to wearing a cloak like Forte; the other apparently had the ability to turn damaged data into the shape he so chose. It was how Forte had made his own cloak, though the one he handed Rockman was a deep shade of purple, and had a hood which Forte seemed determined to get him to wear.

The blue Navi was confused at first. He'd never guessed Forte would be the possessive type. Though he supposed he shouldn't use his knowledge of the dark Navi from his previous timeline to guess what this Forte was like anymore. Rockman was still unsure whether the previous Forte had considered him a friend or not, but his relationship with this iteration of Forte was definitely closer, especially after…

Rockman felt himself blush. God, he wasn't sure if he'll ever get over the fact that he and Forte had… had… had done  _it_. He would never have believed that the strongest Navi in the Undernet would take that sort of interest in him. In fact, he still had trouble believing that right now.

Despite himself, Rockman couldn't help but think back to earlier events. Forte had staked his claim multiple times- the blue Navi couldn't remember how many. It had been too much for his first time and he had passed out during the middle of it. His blush deepened as his mind unhelpfully provided bits and pieces of his memories during their… connection.

Forte stopped suddenly in his tracks. Apparently having sensed Rockman's sudden influx of emotions, he turned to the blue Navi, grinning. "I'm afraid I can't satisfy you right now. But when we get to our destination, I'll be sure to rectify that."

Rockman flustered, embarrassed that he'd been caught. "Don't be lewd."

Forte looked at him with his red eyes. "I just wanted to make sure my mate is well taken care of."

"Where are we going, anyways?" Rockman decided to change the subject before he embarrassed himself further.

"You'll see."

The two of them fell back into comfortable silence, and Rockman was allowed to ponder on his thoughts once more.

' _...So, I'm Forte's… mate, huh…'_

That was another thing he'd have to get used to. Navies, like humans, could take mates- it was just extremely rare and unheard of, considering how many Navies like Normal Navies aren't even programmed to experience emotions. And the ones that were don't tend to find other Navies that they felt significant enough to take as a mate, or they just weren't given the opportunity to pursue the other, depending on their operator. Rockman supposed he should considering himself fortunate that he'd been given the chance to experience that, even though the Navi who he'd ended up with definitely wasn't who he had expected.

...Not that Rockman was complaining. But still, it was very unexpected.

Forte seemed to have wordlessly established himself as the dominant in their relationship. Again, Rockman didn't mind. He was just glad that Forte had opened up to him and stopped seeing him as a threat. That was more than the blue navi could had ever hoped for. Though now he thought about it, he guessed he shouldn't be too surprised that this was the dynamic he and Forte ended up in, considering he'd basically been following Forte everywhere, even in his previous timeline. While the first time he entered the Undernet had been by chance, his repeated visits had been driven by his desire to see the other navi again. Even his drive to become stronger, and all the misadventures he'd gotten himself into, seemed to have been fueled by the drive to meet Forte again. Rockman assumed that he had just wanted to prove to himself that he could become stronger by defeating the strongest Navi in the undernet, but now… Now, he wasn't so sure that it was purely just to prove his own strength. Maybe Forte was right. Maybe, even then, he had already started developing more complicated feelings for the other Navi.

It was just embarrassing that Forte had figured it out before he had.

That made him curious, though- Did Forte, the one from his timeline, harbour such feelings for himself, too? It was possible that this iteration of Forte was just simply given the opportunity to act upon his feelings.

"You're always thinking so much."

Rockman jumped slightly. "Sorry. I can't help it."

Forte huffed and pulled him closer. "Come here."

Rockman's mind then went blank as Forte swept him off his feet and carried him bridal style, the only thing he could focus on was the loud thumping sounds coming from his own chest.

* * *

Forte didn't have a problem being a wandering figure around the Undernet, but now that he had a mate, that wasn't acceptable anymore.

Rockman looked around as he explored the area Forte had secured. It was a ridiculously obscure and secluded part of the Undernet. The blue Navi would have settled for just a small section of the area but Forte had apparently wanted the entire area for himself. Rockman briefly pondered over the benefits of Forte's decision; sure, it would make it easier for other to locate Forte, but it would be a lot less likely for them to be caught off guard or ambushed like they would have been out in the open. Rockman didn't think many Navies would actively look for the so called Black Shadow, anyways. Once word got out that Forte had decided to make his residence here, it was very likely that most Navies would avoid the area like the plague.

Speaking of which, Forte was still busy scaring away any lingering Navies within the area. He had left Rockman here earlier after making sure that this part of the area was devoid of any wandering viruses or Navies.

...Well, if Forte was determined to make this part of the net their new home, the least he could do was help. The blue Navi had noticed a lot of broken and damaged parts within the area- unsurprising. Considering the majority of the Underset was broken and run down. But that didn't mean Rockman couldn't fix it. His mind wandered to a certain place he knew of in the Undernet. After gaining his barings, Rockman began heading in the direction of the location. It wasn't that far from here. He was sure Forte wouldn't mind him wandering around for a bit. He would probably be back before the other even noticed.

* * *

The sight of carefully structured and intricate pathways never ceased to amazing him. It was most likely the only part in the Undernet that had such carefully structured pathways. Rockman smiled to himself as the view of the Mettaur Village came into view, his memory serving him correctly.

Sensing the presence of a NetNavi, the Mettuars huddled together, eyeing him nervously. It was not uncommon that Navies had come to the village before to delete viruses.

"Easy." Rockman told them gently. "I don't mean any harm. I'm not here to hurt you."

The Mettaurs regarded him carefully, before slowly deciding that he was indeed harmless and continued with their respective tasks. The blue Navi sighed in relief.

"So, another Navi has stumbled upon the Mettaur Village."

Rockman turned towards the voice, recognizing the Navi instantly.

' _Gateman!'_  Rockman had to stop himself from addressing the other. They shouldn't know each other, not yet. "Well, I've heard the rumours circulating within the Undernet that there's a village made of Mettaurs somewhere here, so I decided to see for myself."

Gateman snorted. "I won't tolerate anyone interfering with the natural order of things here. Do you understand?"

Rockman nodded. "Of course. I'm just here to take in the sights. I won't disturb you or the Mettaurs." He paused briefly. "I won't tell anyone about this place, either." He quickly added.

"Good. Remember what you said" Gateman told him. "I'm Gateman. I won't hesitate to delete you if you go back on your words."

Rockman sighed internally as he watched Gatman leave.  _'He's still serious as always.'_

The blue Navi lingered around the village for a little bit longer, watching in awe that the Mettaurs as they constructed the delicate pathways over and around the village.  _'It seems it won't be coming today.'_  Rockman thought to himself silently.  _'That's good. But I'll have to check back later, just in case.'_

If this timeline was anything like the previous one, a renegade virus was bound to disrupt the peace and quiet of the Mettaur Village, and when it appeared, Rockman was going to put a stop to its destruction once more.


	7. Chapter 7 (H)

"Where have you been?"

Rockman jumped. He wasn't aware that Forte had noticed his absence.

"I was just… looking around." Rockman told him, a bit sheepishly. "...Sorry, I was kind of… bored."

Forte stared at him for a bit, frowning. The blue Navi was starting to worry if he'd accidentally made the other Navi mad when Forte spoke again. "I don't mind you exploring around a bit… Just tell me where you're heading so I know where to look if something happened."

Rockman sighed in relief. "Of course. I'll do that next time." He paused momentarily, before smiling. "I'm glad you trust me enough to let me out of your sight, Forte."

Forte snorted. "I've seen what you can do, Mega. You may look harmless, but you can bite back twice as hard if you wanted to."

Well, if there was one thing this Forte and the previous Forte had in common, it was that they both respected power.

"How do you do that, anyways?" It took Rockman a moment to realize Forte was talking about Serenade's ability to reflect projectiles. "I've never seen anything like that before."

"Well…" Rockman bit his lip. "I… I don't know, either."

"You don't know?" Forte was surprised. "Weren't you programmed with that ability?"

The blue Navi shook his head. "I wasn't. I just had it, one day, when I woke up. It was an accident that I even discovered I could do that." That was sort of the truth. Rockman still wasn't sure how he had acquired Serenade's ability.

Forte regarded him carefully for a second, before he raised his hands towards the blue Navi. "Can I…?" Rockman quickly realized the other Navi wanted to try and copy the ability through him. "Maybe I can figure out how exactly it works."

Rockman nodded and timidly placed his hands on top of Forte's, shivering slightly as he felt Forte's Get Ability programme run through his systems; normally, it would be unnoticeable, especially in battle, when there were more important things to worry about. But without anything to distract him, Rockman could feel the programme clearly probe and scan his systems for the data it wanted.

After a while, Forte frowned. "I can't copy it."

"What?"

"I can locate the data within you and make a copy of it." Forte explained. "But once it leaves you, the data breaks down almost immediately." His expression turned thoughtful at that. "It seems the data was programmed specifically with your unique data in mind."

"Huh…" Rockman was confused as well. "Well… I don't really know how to use this ability. I can deflect normal shots just fine, but trying to do that with stronger shots takes a lot of energy. I'm not sure if I can manage that."

"Wouldn't it be easier to let the shot just pass by you, so you only have to exert enough energy to redirect the shot, instead of putting yourself directly in its path? That way, you won't have to waste the extra energy to stop the shot before redirecting it like you did." Forte said.

...Oh.

Rockman slapped himself on the face. Now that he thought about it, wasn't that exactly what Serenade had done?

"I never thought about that." Rockman confessed, feeling embarrassed. "I'll be sure to give that a try next time. Thanks."

"Hn." Forte hummed. Then, he appeared to consider something. "You used to have an operator, didn't you."

"..." Well, there was no use lying about that. "Yeah."

The other Navi's expression grew stern. "...Had they abandoned you, too?"

"Wh-what?" Rockman panicked slightly. "No! It wasn't anything like that! It was just… unfortunate circumstances."

"Oh?" Forte didn't look convinced.

"He didn't abandon me, or anything!" Rockman tried to explain what had happened with as much truth as possible. "It's just… We were caught up in a fight when a large explosion happened. I was knocked out. When I came to, I wasn't anywhere I recognized."

"And he hasn't looked for you?"

"That's not his fault! He probably thought I was deleted in the blast." More like he actually physically wasn't able to find him, considering his operator wasn't even supposed to exist for another year or so.

Forte fell silent for a while. Rockman shifted uneasily under his gaze.

"...Would you go back?"

"What?"

"If your operator found you." Forte elaborated. "Would you go back?"

"..."

Dammit, he never knew Forte was so insecure about himself that he would believe Rockman would abandon him for his operator.

"...I doubt that I'll ever find him again." Rockman said. "...But even if I did, I still wouldn't go back."

"...Why not?" Forte asked, still uncertain.

"Forte, I…" Rockman sighed, resisting the urge to shake the other Navi. "Look… it's true that I care about my operator a lot, and I still do. But he's a strong boy. He can take care of himself. Besides… he probably has another Navi to look after him right now." Rockman looked directly at Forte. "I trust that Navi to look after my operator for me. So I won't go back, Forte. Not when you need me more than he does."

Internally, Rockman had never been more thankful to have been thrown back into the past- Deep down, he also knew that Forte's worries were not unfounded. Rockman's operator was indeed very important to him. At first, Rockman admitted that he had been worried about the prospect about not having Netto-kun with him, but now…

Had he still been Netto's Navi, there definitely wouldn't have been an ounce of a chance that he could have been with Forte. And there was no way Rockman could allow Forte to be alone by himself. Not again.

He met Forte's gaze, seeing the flicker of emotions in the other's eyes before Forte blinked and pushed them back down, but even then, Rockman could tell that Forte had been touched.

"That's good to know." Forte grinned at him. "Besides, even if you wanted to go back to your operator, I wouldn't have allowed it."

Rockman tensed slightly when Forte suddenly stalked closer towards him. "Forte…?"

He was kissed on the lips again. This time, the dark Navi didn't relent until he'd fully explored the smaller Navi's mouth. Rockman gasped as the other Navi cupped his behind through the thin layer of cloth.

"Forte!" Rockman panicked slightly when the other Navi pulled at his cloak, yanking it off his body. "What are you-"

"I told you." Rockman shivered as Forte smirked at him. "I told you that I would make sure you're thoroughly satisfied once we got here, hadn't I?"

"!"

Rockman was grabbed before he could jerk back, Forte quickly guiding him to lay on the floor before he could protest. Blushing furiously, Rockman attempted to struggle out from under the larger Navi, but Forte once again took hold of his waist, locking him in place before ripping his skinsuit open, apparently having decided that it was too much of a hassle to remove it otherwise.

"Forte!" He writhed, still attempting to struggle- he didn't think he could handle another round so soon. "W-wait! I can't… Nnh! S-sto- oh! A-aaah…"

The dark Navi was on him in an instant, biting and kissing his sensitive skin, eliciting soft gasps and whimpers from him. It wasn't long before the blue Navi's body became lax under the other- it was slightly scary how familiar Forte is with his body now after their first time. Rockman was rendered completely helpless, shivering and moaning as the other continued teasing his body.

Once Forte decided he was ready, he wasted no time in kicking off his own skinsuit and grinded himself against Rockman's entrance and  _oh god he was already wet down there._

"A-ah!" Rockman tensed, his body jerked in surprise as Forte pushed himself inside with a single thrust, filling him instantly. It didn't hurt. Instead, his insides just clutched around the other navi's length comfortably. Rockman shuddered to think that his body had already grown accustomed to Forte being inside him.

Forte hissed. He pulled Rockman's hips closer as to get more of his length inside the smaller Navi. "Fuck, you're so sweet down there. It almost makes me feel bad for having defiled you so thoroughly."

"Forte!" Rockman gasped as Forte grinded against him, the tip of his length rubbing directly up against his inner opening. Already, he could feel his eyes prickling with tears. "D-don't… Ah!"

"I think I can still feel some of myself inside of there." Forte breathed against his ear as he began to thrust shallowly against him. "You'll be good and take more of me in there, right?"

"F-Forte…! D-don't- Hhnnn…!" Rockman was sobbing already, unable to handle both Forte's stimulations and teasing at once. "Sto- Aaah…! S-stop…"

"'Don't stop'?" Forte asked as he jerked up against Rockman, forcing another sob out of the smaller Navi before he hissed suddenly. Rockman had bit him.

"That is  _not_  what I meant and you know that!" Rockman snarled at Forte, apparently fed up with his teasing. The dark Navi laughed breathlessly at his outburst.

"Alright, I'll be nice."

That was the last concret thing Rockman remembered before he was drowned in the onslaught of pleasure as Forte began fucking him passionately, forcing climax after climax from his body before the blue Navi passed out once more from exhaustion.


	8. Chapter 8 (Mettaur Village)

Rockman huffed as he rushed to get to his destination. He had pointed Forte in the general direction he was heading in so the other Navi could go look for him if he wanted. Now he just hoped he could get there in time before disaster struck. The blue Navi allowed himself a moment of relief when he saw that the Mettaur Village still remained relatively undisturbed, but he quickly reminded himself to stay alert. The renegade virus could strike at any moment.

The Mettaurs seemed to have recognized him as the Navi from yesterday. They paid the blue Navi no mind as he approached the village.

"You again."

Rockman turned to the voice. "Hello, Gateman." He smiled as he greeted the other Navi.

Gateman regarded him criously. He was still cautious, but appeared a lot less hostile than he had been the day before. "Where's your operator?"

"Huh?"

"You don't look like an Undernet Navi. Where's your operator?"

"..."

Was he really that obvious?

"I don't have an operator." Rockman told him. "I'm here on my own."

Gateman didn't look convinced. "I won't treat you any differently even if you are a surface Navi."

"...I used to be one." Rockman sighed, relenting. "But I've gotten used to being in the Undernet."

Gateman gave him a look. "I'm sorry."

"..."

Great. Now even Gateman thought that he had been abandoned.

"Anyways… I never got your name the last time we met."

"Oh, that's okay." Rockman said politely. "My name's Mega. It's nice to meet you."

"Mega." Gateman nodded. "I must apologize for my hostility during our previous encounter. You must know that a lot of Navies that visit the Mettaur Village don't exactly have the best intentions in mind."

"Don't worry about that. I understand." Rockman grinned. "It would be nice if I can get a closer look inside the Mettaur Village, though."

The other Navi paused slightly, before nodding as he decided that Rockman was trustworthy enough. "Come with me."

Rockman looked around as he was led through the familiar streets of the Mettaur Village. It was still bustling with energy as he had remembered. "They're really something, aren't they?" Rockman said as he attempted to make conversation.

"Hm." Gateman hummed in agreement. "Many Navies don't understand or appreciate the combined power which these Mettaurs have when they put their minds to something, just on the basis that they are viruses." The taller Navi paused at that. "But you seem different."

"Well, I was surprised at first, too." Rockman said, recalling his feelings from when he first witnessed the Mettaur Village. "But when I saw some of the things the Mettaurs had built, I was more amazed than anything!" At that, the blue Navi turned his gaze to a tall bridge in the distance.

Gateman followed his gaze. "They may be small, but in numbers, they can achieve great things."

The two Navies fell silent for a moment, both admiring the sight of the large crowd of Mettaurs working together in sync, before a whirring sound in the distance broke the silence.

"That sound…!" Rockman recognized it instantly. It was the renegade viruses.

"So, it's decided to return today, too." Mistaking the blue Navi's reaction as confusion, Gateman elaborated. "Even in the Undernet, natural disasters still occur."

Already, the Mettaurs were beginning to flee in terror as the tornado drew closer and closer to the village with every passing moment. Rockman's eyes narrowed.

"It's not a natural disaster."

Gateman snapped his attention towards him, eyes wide. "What?"

"It's a virus." With that, Rockman ran towards the incoming tornado.

"What are you doing?!" He heard Gateman yell after him. "If you get swept up in that thing, you'll be deleted in an instant! Undernet navi or not!"

While Rockman appreciated the other's concern, he knew how to handle this situation perfectly fine. He'd fought this same virus before. He knew exactly how it acted.

"Hey! Over here!" He yelled at the virus once he was close enough to get its attention. The effect was almost immediate. Sweeping random pieces of broken or junk data into its swirling tornado, the virus then proceeded to aim the deribs directly at him.

Anticipating its attack, the blue Navi dodged out of the way of all three of the objects aimed at him. "Is that all you've got?" He provoked the virus.

It worked. Irritated, the virus picked up a huge chunk of broken metal into its tornado, before flinging it at him at an extremely high speed.

' _I suppose this is as good a time as any to test out Forte's theory.'_  Rockman thought to himself as the projectile sped towards him. Dashing towards the object, Rockman lept away at the last instant. Once the ball of metal had passed by him harmlessly, he focused his energy to redirect the projectile-

Rockman was surprised when all he needed was a small nudge in a different direction to send the entire thing hurdling back towards the virus- it was unable to react quickly enough before the chunk of metal hit it out of the air, the tornado it summoned disappearing into nothing a moment later.

Summoning his Rock buster, the blue Navi walked up to the virus. "Leave, and never disturb this village ever again."

The virus seemed to have understood that it had been bested. It crept away swiftly, and Rockman doubted it would return again.

Sighing in relief, Rockman reformed his buster into his hand. He turned around, only to be ambushed by a dozen of happy Mettaurs, all of them clicking and chirping excitedly. A moment later, he saw Gateman slowly approach him and the group of Mettaurs.

"... Impressive." Gateman said.

"It's nothing." Rockman smiled. "...I guess I kind of messed up the natural order of things here, huh."

Gateman shook his head. "No. Thanks to you, the Mettaurs in this village can finally live in peace."

Rockman laughed embarrassedly at the growing amount of Mettaurs that were now hugging and nudging him. "Hey. What's wrong, you guys…?"

"It would appear that they would like to return the favor." Gateman seemed surprised by this development as well.

"Well…" Rockman grinned. "There  _is_  something that I have in mind…"

* * *

"Are you guys alright back there?" Rockman turned around, checking to see if the the dozen or so Mettaurs trailing behind him were alright before he continued on, the soft chirping of the Mettaurs following him the only sounds he heard for a while, until he felt someone approach.

Rockman stopped instantly in his tracks. The Mettaurs, having sensed his suddenly alertness, all huddled in a tight group behind him, looking around nervously while the blue navi just stared ahead in the direction of where he had felt the presence of another Navi come from.

Realizing that their cover was blown, the Navi decided to reveal itself, appearing before Rockman in a puff of smoke.

' _As I suspected.'_

"Shadowman." Rockman addressed the Navi.

If the Navi was surprised by how Rockman knew his name, he didn't show it.

"Navies have started to notice your presence in the Undernet, you know." Shadowman told him. He had told Rockman the same thing in his previous timeline, too, after he had survived his first encounter with Forte, warning him of the possibility that he would be challenged by many strong Undernet Navies because of this.

"You don't have to worry about me." Rockman told him. "I'm strong enough to defend myself."

"..."

Rockman watched as Shadowman seemed to be pondering over something for a brief moment, before the other Navi spoke again.

"Strength is not the only form of power within the Undernet." Shadowman said. "Perhaps I may be able to aid you in that regard."

It took Rockman a second to understand what Shadowman meant.

Among surface Navies, it was a little known fact that Undernet Navies were able to form something called a "Pact", consisting of the master and the subservient between a stronger and weaker Navi. Pacts weren't often formed, as they cannot be broken unless either the master wills it, or the subservient manages to become strong enough to break the pact themselves, which almost never happened. However, some Navies were still willing to form Pacts with stronger Navies, as the subservient- depending on how strong the master was- were able to gain a huge boon in their power through their Pact. On the other hand, the master would secure the services and absolute loyalty of their subservient. It was how Blues had suddenly gained a new form and became more powerful during their fight against the Darkloids in his previous timeline- He had formed a Pact with Serenade.

And Shadowman, for whatever reason, has decided to throw his entire lot with Rockman.

"...Give me some time to consider this." Rockman said, after he steadied himself. It was a bit too much to take in. "I'll find you once I've made up my mind."

Seemingly pleased with this answer, Shadowman bowed politely, before disappearing in another puff of smoke.


	9. Chapter 9 (H)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Apparently, I did a "Has Megaman fought a viruses before he passed out?" in the last chapter. FML. I hope I don't type something stupid like "What a polite young man she was!" in the next chapter. And don't even get me started on the Netopian Bread. Megaman is doing wonders for my Engrish.

Fighting with Forte was a lot more exciting and a lot less nerve-wracking when he knew the other wasn't hellbent on deleting him, Rockman decided.

The two Navies were currently in a location not far away from the area they had decided to make their home. Rockman had suggested the two of them leave while the Mettaurs helped them fix up the place- They wouldn't have been able to do anything otherwise, with them being terrified of the black Navi and all. It also gave Rockman an opportunity to practise with repelling multiple shots.

It seemed to be good practise for Forte as well- The black Navi wasn't quite used to being shot at as he was usually the one doing the shooting. He was forced to teleport out of the way as Rockman deflected another series of energy shots back at him.

"Not bad." Forte smirked, his hand forming into a buster. "But let's see you try and deflect this."

Aiming his buster at Rockman, Forte fired multiple rapid Vulcan shots at the blue Navi.

Rockman calmed himself. Reflecting multiple shots didn't require as much energy as it did concentration. He had to focus on every single shot and willed each one of them to turn in a different direction. As he felt each of the shots coming towards him, he focused on extending his energy to give each of them a push in the opposite direction- a few of the buster shots ended up flying in a completely unrelated direction, but the blue Navi was successful in repelling the majority of them back at Forte, the dark Navi only having a moment to activate his aura before the Vulcan shots connected, the impact from the shots causing a small explosion as dust clouds filled the area.

"Maybe try not to telegraph your attacks so obviously next time!" Rockman smirked. He paused however, when Forte was nowhere to be seen after the dust and smoke had cleared.

' _Crap! Where did he go?'_

"I've got you now!"

Rockman yelped when he was suddenly tackled from behind, Forte's arms wrapping around his arms and waist, bringing the two Navies to the ground as he lost his balance and fell. The blue Navi kicked and struggled for a bit. "Let me go!"

Forte grinned. "Never."

Rockman soon gave up, sighing. When it came to physical strength, the dark Navi still had the upper hand. There was no way he was breaking out of Forte's grip. "Alright. Fine. You win."

"Hn." Forte seemed pleased. "Pay more attention to your surroundings next time."

"Yeah. I will. Thanks."

Forte held him for a while longer, before he finally relented his grip on Rockman, allowing the smaller Navi to sit up.

"...Hey." Rockman said, seeing his opportunity to bring up something he'd been thinking about with Forte.

"Hm?" Forte stared up at him from his position, still half laying down. Most Navies would probably be scared to deletion, seeing the strongest Navi in the Undernet letting his guard down like that.

"...I ran into a Navi on my way back." Rockman began, trying to figure out how best to explain his situation. "He… He wanted to form a Pact. With me."

That got Forte's attention. The black Navi sat up immediately, his gaze seething with alarm, anger and envy.

"I didn't accept, or anything!" Rockman said before Forte could say anything. "I… I wanted to know your opinion on this before doing anything."

That seemed to have calmed the dark Navi down substantially, but Rockman could tell that he was still agitated by it. "... Who was he?" Forte asked.

"His name is Shadowman." Rockman said carefully. "He approached me just as I was returning and offered his services to me, so I guess he wanted to be my subservient." Rockman paused slightly, then added. "He might have saw what I did back in the Mettaur Village."

Forte frowned upon hearing that. It was no surprise to Rockman that the dark Navi was extremely possessive of him, and the thought of someone else seeing him had made him uneasy.

"Do you know what he wants?" Forte asked again.

"...Power, maybe?" It was the reason why most Navies were willing to form Pacts. "Other than that, I'm not sure."

Rockman watched as Forte fell silent, probably muling over what he had said, before the dark Navi turned and looked at him directly in the eyes.

"What do you think?"

The blue Navi paused. "...Huh?"

"I want to know what you think about this." Forte explained.

"Well…" Rockman bit his lip as he thought. "I think… It would be beneficial, to form a Pact with him."

Forte raised an eyebrow, but otherwise, waited for him to elaborate.

"I've seen his abilities, and I know what he can do." Rockman continued. "He's a Navi that sticks to the shadows, and he can get around unnoticed. Plus, he seems really knowledgeable about the happenings within the Undernet…" Rockman met Forte's gaze. "I can think of several things he could help out with."

Forte's expression remained stern. "Are you certain he can be trusted?"

"It's not like he can betray me, even if he wanted to." Rockman said. "The Pact would prevent him from doing that."

Hearing this, Forte closed his eyes, and sighed. "...Alright. I'll leave the decision up to you."

Rockman's eyes widened in surprise. "Forte…?"

"I trust your judgment." Forte told him. "Besides…" he reopened his eyes, looking at the blue Navi. "It seems like you've got everything figured out. Just be careful, alright?"

"Forte…" Touched by Forte's faith in him, Rockman was unsure how to react for a moment. "...Of course. I'll be careful. Thank you for trusting me, Forte." He hugged the black Navi tightly.

Forte didn't say anything, but Rockman knew that the other could probably feel his gratefulness as he hugged him back, arms winding around his waist tightly. They remained like that for a little while, before Rockman jumped as he felt Forte's hands began to slide lower.

"F-Forte…? What are you…?" Rockman was beginning to suspect that something was up.

"Mega…" Forte leered at him. "You've lost just now, hadn't you?"

Rockman's lip twitched, but he otherwise remained silent. He hoped this wasn't heading in the direction he suspected it was.

Sensing his unease, Forte smirked. "... I'm going to claim my prize now."

"...!"

Rockman slammed both hands against Forte's chest in an instant, attempting to push the other Navi back, but Forte grabbed both his wrists. The two Navies struggled around for a bit, before Rockman lost his balance and fell forward. Forte quickly forced himself on top of the blue Navi, his chest pressed against Rockman's back as he firmly held the smaller Navi in place; one hand locking both of Rockman's wrists in place while the other slid along his waist. Without warning, the black Navi ripped Rockman's skinsuit from his body, before guiding the other's back side to rest against his crotch.

The blue Navi shook in nervousness and embarrassment when he felt the other's hardness push up against him. His soft petals were still swollen from their previous matings. His body tensed up on instinct when the tip of the length slid into him- It wasn't that he didn't want to have sex with the other Navi, it was just that once Forte started, it was impossible to get him to stop.

Rockman shuddered to think that he'd passed out from exhaustion both times when he and Forte had done it. The amount of stamina the dark Navi had was… unsettling.

"Hhn!" Rockman tensed and jerked as Forte pushed forward, filling him to the brim in an instant. The blue Navi hadn't been quite ready yet, and from this position, Forte was able to sink into him deeper than he normally could have, but already, he could feel his soft walls clutching around Forte's length pleasantly, quickly becoming slick and willing, as if begging the dark Navi to violate him further.

Rockman closed his eyes, his blush deepening at the realization of how easily his body had surrendered to the Navi on top of him.

Forte, for his part, seemed pleased. He began thrusting shallowly in and out of the smaller Navi before he rested the tip of his length against Rockman's inner opening- He could locate it with relative ease now, and how the blue Navi would shudder and clench every time he prodded that spot had most definitely helped him remember where it was. "Mega…"

Rockman shivered as Forte whispered against his ear. "F-Forte..."

Forte smirked as he began to grind against the smaller Navi once he had his entire length within him once more, successfully drawing out little gasps and moans from the Navi below him. "...You know, if I'm not mistaken, human females get pregnant from there." At this, Forte jerked his hips upward, thrusting up directly against that inner most part of the blue Navi.

The effect was immediate. Rockman's eyes snapped wide open, while his insides clenched in alarm… and anticipation. "...For-Forte…!"

"I'm going to fill you up." Forte was thrusting again, this time going deeper and harder than he had been before. Each inward thrust was met with a harsh shiver as he slammed against that spot deep within Rockman. "I'm going to force you open and plant my seed deep inside of you, Mega. I'm going to pour so much of myself inside of there, you're going to be full with my kids soon enough."

' _Oh god, oh god.'_  Rockman's mind was reeling. The rational part of him knew that Navies weren't able to get pregnant, but the other part of him, the one that wanted Forte to claim him, was excited at the mere prospect, of the mere thought of him getting fat with his dominant's offspring.  _'There! Right there- Yesohgodpleasemore-!'_

Sensing his excitement, Forte thrusted harder and faster into the Navi below him, not having to worry about being gentle now that the blue Navi's insides were completely wet with slick, some of it leaking out with every thrust and slipping down his thighs. Feeling the blue Navi's insides tighten and shudder, Forte quickly realized that the other was close to climax.

"Aa-aaah!" Rockman sobbed as he came, his climax prolonged by the fact that Forte didn't relent in his thrusts, hitting and grinding against the blue Navi's insides while he came. "Forte- Forte…!"

"Shh." Forte soothed the Navi below him, kissing Rockman at the back of his neck. "I'm here. I'm right here. I'm going to fill you soon."

"F-Forte!" Rockman was already crying. "Pl- Hnn! Please…!"

Finally, after several more thrusts, Forte came within the smaller Navi. Rockman's insides were shuddering with joy and unadulterated pleasure as he felt himself being filled- Forte was spilling himself deep within him-  _Oh god he was going to get pregnant with Forte's offspring…!_

Both Navies collapsed onto the ground after that, trying to regain their breath. Rockman shivered when he felt Forte move slightly inside of him.

"... Does the idea of being pregnant with my children excite you that much?" Forte seemed genuinely intrigued.

"...Yeah." Rockman admitted. It was embarrassing, but for some reason, the idea of having a child with Forte just felt… nice.

"Hm." Forte mumbled. "Then I suppose I should make sure you're carrying before we're through."

"...! W-wait!"

Shakily, Rockman shifted under Forte, turning so that he was laying on his back instead.

' _That's better.'_

He looked up at Forte.

Smiling, Forte took Rockman's lips in his before he thrusted inside of the blue Navi once more.

* * *

Rockman found Shadowman easily enough once he took the Mettaurs back to their village, the shadow Navi was still lingering around the place Rockman had ran into him prior.

Once he felt Rockman got close, Shadowman revealed himself once more. He looked at Rockman, wordlessly asking for his decision.

Breathing in, Rockman steadied himself before holding his hands out. "I'll form a Pact with you."

Shadowman nodded. He took Rockman's hands, and the blue Navi discovered that he was allowed access to the other Navi's programming. Carefully, Rockman scanned over the shadow Navi's data, trying to determine which part of the Navi's programme would benefit most from the Pact.

Finally, Rockman decided on Shadowman's sensory data. He put some of his own data along with the Pact programme, the programme activating immediately after it had finished installing. The other Navi was now going to be much more sensitive to his surroundings, as well as gaining a huge buff to all his senses. The Pact should allow him to sense and make out the different energy signatures of any single Navi, enabling him to pick out a single target even among thousands of other Navies. It was probably difficult for anyone to sneak up on Shadowman, but now, it would literally be impossible.

Having felt the change, the shadow Navi stumbled for a bit, taking a moment to gather himself as he adjusted to the sudden increase in his senses.

"Than-" Shadowman coughed. "Thankyou."

Rockman smiled. He stepped towards the other Navi.

"I need you to do something for me…"


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: It would appear that I cannot go two chapters without Forte and Rockman doing the dirty. FML. I just hope no one notices that the porn is there just for filler in between story beats.

"So? How is it?"

"... It's definitely different." Forte said.

The blue Navi feigned hurt at Forte's reply. "I go through all the trouble in designing the place and that's all you have to say? My disappointment is immeasurable and my day has been ruined."

The dark Navi gave him a look. "Don't do that."

"Huh?"

"Teasing. It doesn't look good on you, and you're terrible at it." Forte snorted, rolling his eyes.

Rockman blushed, looking to the side. "Geez… Thanks, I guess."

"This is what your PET was like, isn't it?" Forte said as he continued to look around the area. The entire place had brighter lighting, the tiles replaced and Rockman had even managed to find some damaged applications that he was able to repair. He especially liked the sleep cycle station that pretty much acted as a human bed- Rockman doubted he will ever understand how Undernet Navies were able to sleep without it.

"Well, yeah." Rockman shrudged. "If this is going to be our home, I at least wanted to make it look nice. The entire place looked like it was falling apart when we first got here."

"... It's nice."

Rockman blinked. "Huh?"

"It's nice. I like it. A lot." Forte told him. "I'm just not quite used to it, still. But I still appreciate it, Mega. Thankyou."

"Forte…" Rockman smiled. "Don't worry, we'll settle in nicely."

Just then, the blue Navi received a notification at the back of his mind. Forte seemed to have sensed it, too.

' _That was quick.'_

"Sorry." Rockman leaned in to give Forte a quick kiss before leaving the area. "I'll be right back!"

* * *

"Do you have it?"

Shadowman wordlessly handed Rockman a datapad. The blue Navi took it and activated it instantly, hands slightly shaking with nervousness. With a beep, the screen of the datapad blinked on, showing the image of one of the laboratories in SciLab.

' _So far, so good.'_

Rockman began to flip through the rest of the feed, nodding as he determined that he could get a view of anywhere within SciLabs- both of the real world and of the net.

"Thanks, Shadowman." Rockman said as he smiled at the other Navi. "I wouldn't have been able to do this otherwise."

"It is my pleasure, Mistress." Shadowman replied. "With the powers you have given me, bugging SciLabs was no difficulty at all."

"..."

Shadowman had insisted on calling Rockman his Mistress once it was discovered that Rockman had been the submissive in his relationship with Forte. Rockman couldn't be bothered to correct him anymore after the fifth time. He continued to flicker through the live footage of SciLabs, before a familiar face made him pause.

' _Dad!'_

It was Yuichiro Hikari. He definitely looked a lot younger than Rockman remembered, but Rockman was sure that it was unmistakably him. Netto's father still existed in this timeline! Which would mean Netto-

"...Mistress?"

Rockman was jolted out of his thoughts. It took him a moment to realize that he was shaking.

"It's nothing." Rockman quickly said. "I just, got a bit excited. That's all."

Turning the datapad off, Rockman made a mental note to follow up on how Dr. Hikari… Dad was doing, once he had the time.

"...Oh, that reminds me." Rockman looked back up suddenly. "I need to ask you something, Shadowman."

"What is it, Mistress?"

"Well… I was wondering if you're familiar with a certain Navi in the Undernet…" Rockman proceeded to describe, in detail, Serenade's appearance to the shadow Navi.

Once he had finished, Shadowman fell silent. "I do not recall any Navies in the Undernet matching that appearance." He said. "But I will be sure to keep a look out for them."

"Oh…" Rockman frowned. He didn't doubt Shadowman's knowledge of the UnderNet and its residents, and with a Navi so powerful such as Serenade himself, it was extremely unlikely that Shadowman would not know who Serenade was, unless-

Did Serenade not exist in this timeline? That was… concerning, to say the least.

"There is something else brewing underneath the surface of the Undernet, though." Shadowman continued. "Rumors of a terrorist organization said to strike fear into humans and Navies alike are forming."

' _WWW!'_

"Keep a close eye on them." Rockman said, his gaze stern. "If anything happens, tell me immediately."

Shadowman bowed. "Of course, Mistress."

Rockman sighed, closing his eyes. He didn't think he would have to deal with WWW so soon again. He can only hope that he can keep the chaos to a minimum this time. So many humans had been hurt, and Navies deleted last time. He won't allow that to happen again.

"There's also another rumor that has been circling around the Undernet as of late." Shadowman continued. "I believe you may be interested in what these rumors say, my Mistress."

The blue Navi blinked. "What is it?"

"It appears that there have been sightings of an Undernet Navi, which most have begun to call as the "Blue Myth"." Shadowman explained. "If the rumors are to believed, then it would appear that this new Navi has powers that rival even that of the Black Shadow's."

Rockman frowned. That was definitely new. He never heard of any Undernet Navies being deemed anywhere near as strong as Forte himself, aside from Serenade, of course. "Do you know who this Navi is?"

Shadowman paused.

"Well, it is hard to say." The shadow Navi replied in a mildly amused tone. "But if I had to guess, I believe the Navi from which these rumors had originated from would be you, my Mistress."

"..."

Rockman resisted the urge to slap himself in the face. Right. He's blue, he's been seen with Forte in the Undernet, the Undernet Navies had decided to call him the Blue Myth because of the colour of his skinsuit- Fine. Fair enough. How had he not made that connection?

"...Alright, I'll be more careful from now on." Rockman sighed. "...If you're worried about me, you could have just said so, Shadowman. I wouldn't be offended or anything, just because you cared about me."

"I would never dare question your powers, Mistress!" Shadowman quickly defended himself.

"That's- That's not what I meant!" Rockman sighed again. Maybe it was an Undernet Navi thing. "Just… look. Next time, just say something along the lines of, 'Hey Mega, there seems to be a lot of unwanted attention surrounding you. Maybe you should lay low for a little while.' I won't be offended by you looking out for me, alright?"

"... I understand, Mistress." Shadowman nodded slowly.

"Great!" Rockman grinned. "That's all, then. I'll call you if I need help with anything else!"

* * *

As it turns out, Rockman wasn't able to wait until he got back to his and Forte's makeshift home before he turned on the datapad again. Flipping through the live feed, the blue Navi quickly relocated doctor Hikari in his own office. It seemed as if he was working on something.

' _Come to think of it, I never did find out what Dad was working on.'_  Rockman thought. It was no secret that doctor Hikari was a very busy man, but in between the misadventures him and Netto would get up to, he supposed it kind of slipped his mind to ask doctor Hikari what he had been researching.

Curious, Rockman observed for several more moments, watching the live feed intently. He watched doctor Hikari step away from one of the tables he was conducting his tests on, before a small plant materialized out of thin air on it.

"!"

Rockman clutched the datapad in shock. That was no ordinary plant- It was completely digital. However, just as quickly as it formed, the data of the plant broke down, completely dissipating into thin air just moments later.

' _Was Dad working on a way to bring things over from the digital world into the real world all along?'_

That was absolutely revolutionary. Rockman wondered why he had never known about doctor Hikari's research in his previous timeline before.  _'Maybe Dad hadn't been able to complete his research, considering all the things that happened…'_

The blue Navi was so engrossed in his thoughts, he didn't notice a dark figure slowly creeping up towards him.


	11. Chapter 11 (H)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Surprise porn, mother fuckers!
> 
> Jokes aside though, Forte is probably that guy who gets married for twenty years and one day just asks their spouse "Hey you love me right I didn't force you into this marriage or anything did I" and Rockman would just punch the shit out of him for asking stupid questions. It's just interesting for a Navi as strong as Forte to be so insecure about his relationships with other people.

"Boo."

Rockman let out an undignified scream, nearly dropping the datapad in his hands. He turned around and pushed the other Navi back. "Don't scare me like that, Forte!"

Forte didn't mind as the blue Navi pushed him back, shrugging it off quickly. He was amused. "You're too oblivious to your surroundings, Mega."

"Yeah, yeah. I have to be more aware of my surroundings and all, I get it." Rockman huffed, slightly mad. "You didn't have to come up from behind me and scare me just to make a point."

Forte raised an eyebrow. "Did I really frighten you that much?"

"Of course you did!" Rockman flustered, face slightly red from embarrassment.

The blue Navi had thought it had been a ghost, and Rockman would rather be deleted than let Forte know that he was terrified of ghosts.

"Alright… I'm sorry." The dark Navi said. "I won't do that again."

"You better not!" Rockman huffed, holding the datapad against his chest. Forte looked at it with mild interest.

"Is this what you went through all the trouble to get?" He asked.

"Pretty much." Rockman smiled. "It's-" the blue Navi paused for a brief moment. He knew how Forte felt about SciLabs. He hoped the other wouldn't react too negatively.

"It's live footages from both the cyberworld and the real world of SciLabs." Rockman continued. "I had Shadowman bug the place so I can check up on it from time to time."

Forte scowled upon hearing that. "What do you need that for?"

"...Personal interests." Rockman said, a bit sheepishly. "...I know how you feel about SciLabs, Forte. But it's good to keep an eye on the human's technological advancements. Did you know that one of them has been researching a way to bring digital data over from the cyberworld to the real world?" The blue Navi elaborated, hoping to sway the other.

It seemed to have worked. Forte appeared to consider his words for a moment. "...Let me see."

Rockman quickly turned the datapad back on and handed it to Forte. Luckily, doctor Hikari was still running the same tests he had before. As the dark Navi watched the footage, Rockman kept a close eye on his expression. Forte was never one to wear his heart on his sleeve, but even then, the blue Navi could tell that he was unwillingly impressed when he saw doctor Hikari materialize the digital plants into the real world.

"...Impressive."

"I told you." Rockman grinned.

Forte continued to watch for several more moments, before something had caught his attention and his expression changed. There was a moment of surprise before the other Navi turned away, and Rockman hadn't been able to read anything else from him.

"Forte?" Rockman asked, slightly worried. "What's wrong?"

"..." Forte was silent for a while longer before he spoke. "...He's your operator, isn't he?"

That stunned the blue Navi. While it was doctor Hikari's son, Netto Hikari, who had been his operator, Forte's guess had been extremely close to the truth.  _'Forte doesn't appear to know who Dad is, so how was he able to make that connection…?'_

Wordlessly, Forte turned back to him. He reached one hand over to Rockman and parted his cloak. There, underneath, was Rockman's Navi emblem.

It was the exact same emblem that doctor Hikari was wearing on his lab coat.

"...!"

Rockman was stunned silent, not having realized just how observant the dark navi was, but Forte seemed to have taken his lack of an answer as a silent admittal.

"... I won't stop you." Forte said as he handed Rockman the datapad. Then, he turned and walked away.

The blue navi was dumbstruck for a moment before he realized what Forte had meant.

' _He still thinks I'm going to leave him…!'_

Rockman's fists clenched as he began to shake. Not in fear or distress, but in complete, unsuppressed rage. The blue Navi couldn't remember the last time he had been this angry. Forte must have felt it too, as he suddenly stopped in his tracks, giving a slight twitch.

"Forte." He said, as calmly as he could possibly manage right now. "We've talked about this."

The dark Navi looked back at him, but didn't reply. There was still a hint of lingering doubt in his eyes.

' _Unbelievable!'_

In an instant, Rockman tossed the datapad aside and ran towards the dark Navi. Forte, not expecting Rockman to react the way that he had, was caught off balance, the two of them falling to the floor as Rockman tackled him, grabbing him by his cloak.

"I'm not going to leave, Forte." Rockman snarled. "You're not getting rid of me that easily." Then, in the heat of the moment, he caught Forte's lips in a kiss, his unusual forwardness surprising the other Navi. Already, he was tugging at Forte's cloak, trying to get it off. Sensing his intentions, the dark Navi helped him remove his cloak and skinsuit. It wasn't long before Rockman held Forte's length in his hand.

"Shit!" Forte hissed as the blue Navi began to stroke him, bucking his hips up to meet the other Navi's pumps. Rockman leaned in for another kiss. "Mine." he breathed once they parted.

"Yours." Forte agreed. He groaned when Rockman suddenly gave his length a harsh pump. "Fuck! You're so good with your hands, Mega."

"Hn." Rockman hummed. "You want to be inside me now, don't you?"

"Fuck yes." Quickly, the dark Navi sat up and helped Rockman tear his skinsuit off of his body. Once they were both bare, Rockman positioned himself on top of the other Navi, Forte's hands holding his hips to steady him as the tip of his length lined up against Rockman's opening.

"You ready?" the blue Navi asked, allowing himself to slide just low enough so the tip parted his petals gently.

"Yeah. Go on." Forte said as he laid back down, both hands still gripping Rockman's waist. "Shit. I can feel your insides twitching already."

The blue Navi grinned. With that, he sat down, impaling himself on Forte's hardness just as the other Navi bucked his hip upwards. Rockman keened when his soft walls were parted, his insides nicely stretched. With him on top of the other Navi this time, Forte had managed to thrust up into him at a completely different angle. Rockman took a moment to steady himself, but already, he could feels his insides clutching and shuddering, asking for more.

Forte, for his part, hissed and gripped the blue Navi's waist tighter. "Fuck, you're so tight."

"Hh-nnnn." Rockman couldn't reply. He enjoyed the feeling of being completely filled for a moment longer before he began moving, raising and lowering himself on top of the dark Navi at a steady pace. Forte quickly began to buck his hips upward to meet his downward thrusts, drawing out long whines from the blue Navi as his soft walls were repeatedly spread. When he let out a surprised gasp and his insides gave a sudden shudder, Forte knew he had relocated that sensitive spot within the blue Navi.

Locking the smaller Navi's hip in place, Forte began to thrust in ernest, pulling the blue Navi's hip down onto his length with every upward pump. Rockman gasped and whined, his eyes wide as he was thrown off balance, the steady pace he had set was suddenly broken and replaced with a more frantic one. His insides shivered and clutched tightly as that spot deep within him was slammed against repeatedly. Unable to handle the suddenly onslaught of pleasure, the blue Navi collapsed on top of Forte, whimpering and sobbing, a clear slick fluid leaking out from between his legs.

"Forte- Forte…!"

The dark Navi was undeterred. Instead, he continued to buck up into the smaller Navi above him, groaning as he felt the other shiver and clench around him tightly. The two of them came at the same time, Rockman screaming as his insides shuddered harshly, while Forte thrusted up one last time before releasing himself deep within the other Navi.

"You're never getting rid of me." Rockman breathed as he came down from his high, kissing Forte again. "Never."

"Mega…" Forte held him tightly. "Mega, I'm sorry for doubting you..."

Rockman sighed in relief, having got through to Forte. Before him could say anything else though, he was suddenly pushed over. The dark Navi was now hovering over him as he laid on his back.

"For- Hhhn…!" Whatever he was about to say was cut short as Forte slid into him once more.

"Shh." Forte hushed him as he began to grind against the smaller Navi. "I'm going to make it up to you."

Sounds of moaning echoed through the area not a moment later.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: If I can refrain from having Rockman and Forte fuck in the next chapter, the story will probably meet up with the cannon in the next two chapters or so. Once the story picks up the sex would have to sit in the backseat for a while, but I like to think my viewers came for the plot and the porn is just a nice bonus. Though looking at the stats… Eh.

Rockman was surprised when Forte showed an interest in the Hikaris once he had figured out Rockman's relationship with them. Apparently, he wanted to know more about Rockman prior to meeting him.

"I don't understand, though." Forte asked. "You were in SciLabs. If you knew your operator was there, why didn't you go find him?"

"... We got seperated a long time ago." Rockman said. He couldn't really tell Forte that he was actually the Navi of doctor Hikari's son, who wasn't even born yet. "I didn't know he started working at SciLabs."

Forte nodded. Now that he thought about it, didn't Mega refer to his operator as a boy during their prior conversation about him?

"What was he like back then?"

"He…" Rockman paused slightly. He recalled Mrs. Hikari saying that Netto was very much like his father when doctor Hikari had been younger.

"...He hated school. He used to over sleep a lot and tried to make me do his homework for him."

On the screen of the datapad that had been set aside, doctor Hikari sneezed.

Forte snorted, amused. "That's… unexpected."

Rockman grinned. "Yeah, I know." Then, his expression changed. "...Forte?"

Sensing his unease, Forte frowned. "What is it?"

"I heard… I heard that he's expecting."

Forte tilted his head. "Expecting? Expecting what?"

"..." Rockman sighed. "He has a wife, and she's pregnant, Forte. He's expecting a child."

"Oh." Forte paused. "I suppose you'd like to see his kid, huh."

Rockman looked at Forte, startled that the other had guessed so quickly.

"It's okay. I know how important this must be for you." Forte said. "Just tell me when it happens, okay?"

The blue Navi just started at him blankly. He hadn't expected Forte to say that. Lips quivering, he leaned over to Forte and hugged him tightly. "You're too good to me, Forte."

"...I should be the one saying that." The dark Navi said softly. "Sometimes I wonder what I've done to deserve you."

' _Oh, not much. Just tried to delete me at least three times in my previous timeline.'_

"...That aside, though." Rockman pulled away and looked up at Forte. "Forte, how's things with you in the Undernet recently?"

Forte rolled his eyes. "Mega, I know you care about me, but seriously?"

"I know. It's just that, Shadowman told me of this terrorist organization that's supposedly forming." Rockman frowned slightly at that. "I'm still not sure what they're about, but I'm afraid they might do anything for power." That was sort of a half-truth. He already knew what WWW wanted, and that they were unlikely to initiate contact with Forte, if his previous experience was anything to go by. Gospel, however...

"I won't be defeated that easily." Forte insisted.

"Just be careful, alright?" Rockman said. "I know you're the infamous Black Shadow and all, but it won't hurt to be cautious."

"...Alright, I will." Forte lightly tapped his nose. "My little Blue Myth."

Rockman's face went bright red immediately. He pushed Forte's hand aside as the other chuckled.

While tales of the infamous Black Shadow still echoed throughout the Undernet, the nature of these rumors seemed to have changed recently. The Black Shadow was still considered a figure of ruthlessness and absolute power, but was not longer a wandering figure that could appear anywhere within the Undernet. Instead, as long as one does not disturb the Black Shadow's territory, they were safe from his wrath.

However, there appeared to be some Navies that were interested in investigating the area in which the Black Shadow had decided to make his home. There were speculations on why the Black Shadow had chosen that one place out of the entire Undernet to settle, and some suspected that the area was special, at least in some way, to have caught the attention of the Black Shadow. Some of these Undernet Navies seemed convinced that the Black Shadow was hoarding something within the area, otherwise, he would not have guarded it with as much ferocity as he had.

That was… sort of true.

However, rumors of another figure, the Blue Myth, had begun to circulate around the Undernet as well. These rumors weren't as well known, and were mostly spoken in hushed tones, but there seemed to be a general consensus that the Blue Myth seemed to have a power that was unknown of, that had caught the attention of the Black Shadow. There appeared to have been some whispers of how the Black Shadow would even leave his domain unattended if he knew the Blue Myth was near to hunt him for his powers.

Rockman suspected that someone, at least from afar, had caught sight of him and Forte's play fights. He couldn't think of how these rumors could had formed any other way. The blue Navi didn't pay much attention to what the rumors said about him, but Forte appeared strangely invested in them.

"I hope you don't actually believe those rumors about me, Forte." Rockman said.

"Of course not." Forte grinned. "I don't need to hunt you down if I've already got you." WIth that, he leaned in and kissed the blue Navi.

* * *

Since Rockman didn't want to attract anymore attention towards himself than he absolutely needed to, he had to rely on Shadowman to know how doctor Hikari was doing outside of SciLabs. Shadowman had offered to bug his house, too, but Rockman refused.

"It just… doesn't feel right." The blue Navi said. "That just makes me feel like a crazy stalker, or something."

"But I'm effectively doing the same thing, Mistress." Shadowman pointed out.

Rockman blushed. "Y-you don't have to tell me everything! Just when something important happens, okay!?"

"Of course, Mistress."

Several days passed uneventfully, before Shadowman dropped in once more.

"It's happening." He said.

Rockman jumped to his feet instantly. "Right now?"

The shadow Navi nodded.

The blue Navi breathed in sharply. "Okay. Take me there, now."

"Wait." Forte interrupted. "I'm going, too."

"Forte, you don't have to-" Rockman started. He didn't want to bother Forte.

"No. I want to see this." Forte looked at him. "...I know how much this means to you, Mega."

"...!" The blue Navi was silent for a while, unsure of what to say. Then, he smiled and nodded. "Alright then, let's go."

The three Navies were able to arrive at Seaside Hospital not a moment later. Shadowman had the foresight to clear out a straight path for them to take. The three were inside the network of one of the security cameras in the hallways, allowing them to have a clear view of what was happening below them. Outside of the surgery room, doctor Hikari was pacing nervously. Rockman paced along with him.

' _I'm going to see Netto-kun again.'_  The blue Navi thought.  _'I never thought I'd meet him like this, though…'_  He paused slightly in his steps.  _'I hope he'll be alright. He'll probably grow up to be the same Netto-kun that I know. The Rockman from this timeline's going to look after him, too.'_  Rockman tried to reassure himself.  _'Still… I can't help but worry-'_

Rockman jolted when he felt a hand being placed on his shoulder.

"Calm down." Forte told him. "If I didn't know any better, I would say that it was your kid in there, with how nervous you're being."

"Sorry." Rockman smiled softly. "I just can't help it. I guess I'm just as excited to meet him as well."  _'Well, I've already met him, but still…'_

"So you know it's a boy, eh?" Forte asked.

"Y-yeah. It's just a feeling I have." Rockman stammered. Luckily, Forte didn't question him. Seconds later, the door flung open, and one of the doctors stepped out from the surgery room.

"Congratulations, Mr. Hikari! You have twins!"


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This is your last chance to jump off this train before it completely derails from the canon… Well, not completely, most of the major story beats still happens, but it's still going to get all messed up.

The elder of the Hikari twins was named Hub, while the younger was named Netto. Already, Netto was crying and making a fuss, while his elder brother, Hub, slept quietly next to him.

"He's noisy." Forte commented.

"He's a baby, Forte." Rockman sighed.

The dark navi made a face, before the two of them continued to observe the family of four silently.

Twins. That was still shocking to Rockman. The Hikaris had only ever had Netto in his timeline, so the realization that there were now going to be two Hikari twins running around the place still surprised the blue Navi.

' _I hope that doesn't mean there's going to be two… three of me. That would get confusing quick.'_

Rockman regarded the two twins carefully.  _'Now that Netto-kun has an elder brother, I wonder what he's going to be like. Knowing him, though, he'd probably still be the same.'_  The blue Navi smiled at the thought.  _'I hope the two of them get along.'_

"Let's go, Forte." He nudged the dark Navi next to him.

Forte raised an eyebrow. "Leaving so soon?"

"They'll be fine, like you said." Rockman grinned. "Plus, they'll look after each other. I'm sure."

* * *

Over the course of the next several years, Rockman kept a close eye on both the Hikaris and the developments of WWW. As much as he wanted to, Rockman couldn't just go into their base and confront them right now. That would just be asking for deletion. He had to find a way to draw them out into a false sense of security, before he could strike them down hard and fast in one fell swoop. If he messed up, WWW would just go into hiding and regroup again, and more people would get hurt.

"I'm not certain what they are attempting, my Mistress, but it would seem they have captured a sizable amount of viruses to experiment on."

"What sorts of viruses?"

"Elemental viruses, Mistress." Shadowman paused slightly. "All elements. Aqua, Fire, Elec and Wood."

Rockman frowned. As he suspected. They were trying to create the Dream Virus in this timeline as well.

"...Mistress?"

"Yeah?"

"Forgive me if I'm wrong." Shadowman said. "But you seem to have a clear grasp of what their plan is, Mistress."

' _...He's as perceptive as always, huh…'_

"Let's not talk about that right now." The blue Navi said, changing the subject. "Shadowman, tell me about Netto and Hub Hikari- How're they doing lately?"

While Rockman would be more than willing to see for himself how the Hikari twins were doing, it would put too much attention on him to be seen leaving the Undernet, especially after how his reputation had grown over the course of the years. Thankfully, Shadowman had helped him filled out most of the gaps.

While Netto Hikari remained mostly the same from what Rockman had remembered, among the two brothers, Hub Hikari was mostly definitely the mature one. Hub tended to be quiet and stayed put while Netto was already out there and getting himself into all sorts of trouble. When the two gradually started attending school, Hub had taken Rockman's role of attempting to drag Netto out of his bed each morning, and was also the one who made sure Netto did all his homework before he got into any sorts of mischief again. It was interesting, to say the least.

Yet, despite their complete difference in personality, the two Hikaris clearly cared for each other. Rockman still remembered one time when Shadowman had recounted the events of what happened to the two boys. Netto had unknowingly gotten himself into trouble with some school bullies- that part, while worrying, it was not all that surprising. What was shocking was that the usually quiet Hub Hikari, without thinking, had ran to Netto's rescue, grabbing an umbrella and smacking one of the bullies. The two ended up being beaten really badly, but they were smiling the entire walk home.

Perhaps that is just the thing with twins, to have a sort of special bond between them. Rockman couldn't help but feel just a little bit envious of the two.

"Netto and Hub Hikari had just received their NetNavies from their father, Mistress."

"!" Rockman looked at the shadow Navi. "Just now? Today?"

Shadowman nodded, and handed him another datapad. "I've created a profile on both of their Navies."

The blue Navi took the datapad and turned it on immediately. The screen blinks on, flashing the names of the two Navies belonging to the Hikari twins.

"Rockman X and Rockman Zero…?"

"It would seem that Netto Hikari is the operator of Rockman X, while Hub Hikari now operates Rockman Zero, my Mistress."

Rockman flipped through the datapad quickly. Rockman X and Rockman Zero- or just X and Zero for short. The profile Shadowman created gave quite a detailed description of their specs; It would seem that while X was a buster-type Navi much like himself, Zero appeared to rely on sword-type weapons more.

' _...They kind of remind me of myself and Blues… Even their colour matches ours.'_

"Mistress?" Shadowman spoke up suddenly. "If I may be so bold?"

"What is it?"

"Those two Navies… Rockman X and Rockman Zero." Shadowman said thoughtfully. "...They remind me of you, my Mistress, in a certain way."

"..." Well, doctor Hikari did create all three of them, technically.

"They appear to be able to... be more than ordinary Naies." Rockman could hear the frown in Shadowman's voice. "I cannot place it, but there is something about those two Navies…"

The shadow Navi seemed to have trouble putting it in words, but Rockman understood what he meant. Doctor Hikari, at least in his timeline, had intentionally programmed Rockman to be able to experience and express the full range of human emotions, so the blue Navi could connect with his operator better, allowing the operator and Navi to truly become friends. However, this concept was so revolutionary, many people still have trouble understanding it, even in his time. The fact that Shadowman could sense that something was up already gave Rockman the hint that his abilities of perception were truly great indeed.

"...Perhaps I should not have said that." Shadowman sighed. "I am sorry, my Mistress."

"No. It's alright. I know what you mean." Rockman said, looking up from the datapad. "I think- I think there's something special, about these two Navies as well."

If this doctor Hikari was anything like the previous one… Then Rockman suspected that he had programmed X and Zero with the same emotional capabilities that he had, as well.

Rockman looked off into the distance as he pondered something else. If he had remembered correctly, WWW was going to start it's plans to plunge the world into chaos not long after Netto started fifth grade-

"I thought I might find you here."

The blue Navi jumped. As he turned around, he saw Forte slowly walking towards him.

"...Is something wrong?" The dark Navi asked as he was in front of him. "You haven't felt this anxious in years."

"Something's about to happen, Forte." Rockman confessed, looking away. "I can't tell what it is, but…"

"Mega." Forte cut him off. "We'll be fine, alright?"

The blue Navi sighed, before giving a small nod.  _'That's right… I know what they're going to do already. I can stop them this time, before they can do any real damage.'_

"Come." Forte took his hand. "Let's go."


	14. Chapter 14 (WWW strikes)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: If I remembered correctly, in the original concept for the Battle Network games, aside from Netto Hikari, there were going to be two other operators, one operating the buster part of Rockman and the other operating the blade part of Rockman. The concept was scrapped in the early stages of development, but since both Hikaris are going to be in this fic, X and Zero will just have to fill in those roles.
> 
> I imagine them to be more similar to their appearance in the Zero series, with Rockman X looking more like Copy X because let's be honest, there's no way Rockman X is fighting in that Cyber Elf gettup.

"Damn it, we're going to be late! Hub! Why didn't you wake me up?!"

"I did- twice! It's your fault for not getting up in time!"

Rockman smiled, watching the scene play before him as he followed the two twins through the cyberworld.

"Mistress, are you sure this is alright?" Shadowman spoke out from behind him.

"Of course! It's about time I see things for myself instead of forcing you to do all the legwork for me, isn't it?" Rockman looked back, grinning. "Besides, I have you to watch my back for me, don't I?"

"...I am flattered, my Mistress." Shadowman replied.

As the two Navies continued to jump from server to server through the net, Rockman briefly considered the events leading up to this moment. It had taken some convincing on his part to assure Forte that he would be fine in the surface net- Afterall, being about to thrive in the Undernet for years wasn't the result of just pure luck. The blue Navi had pretty much mastered Serenade's ability to reflect projectiles. Plus, the dark Navi had insisted that he grow accustomed to levitating during his time in the Undernet. Besides, Rockman had assured Forte that the rumors regarding the Blue Myth probably hadn't reached the surface net, considering it wasn't even especially prominent in the Undernet with how secretive Rockman was with his appearances in the Undernet.

The dark Navi had also questioned his sudden insistence in going to the surface net in person, though Rockman had given him a more dubious answer for this…

If he wasn't mistaken, this was the day that WWW launched their first attack. He had to be there to stop them before they could cause any real damage.

In the meantime, though, that gave him an opportunity to see how the Hikari twins went about their day first hand. Rockman couldn't suppress a small laugh as Netto and Hub Hikari made it to their classroom just in time; Hub had woken up on time to get to class, but he didn't want to leave his younger sibling behind.

For the most part, everything remained relatively the same as Rockman remembered; aside from there being two Hikaris now, it appeared they still shared the same group of friends. Dekao still wanted to pick fights with Netto, Yaito was still the daughter of the CEO of Gapcom, and Maylu-

Rockman smiled to himself.  _'Maylu-chan still has a crush on Netto-kun, but he's still too dense to see it.'_

"Have you guys heard?" Maylu asked the group once class had ended. "There's a series of electronic malfunctions all over ACDC Town lately."

"I've heard about that." Hub said thoughtfully, "The net police are investigating it. They aren't sure yet, but suspect it might be a coordinated attack from WWW."

"WWW?" Netto asked, oblivious.

"WWW is a terrorist organization that's been circulating around the net lately, Netto." Yaito sighed. "Seriously, Mariko-Sensei talked about this in class. Don't you pay any attention at all?"

"Of course I do! I just… forgot! That's all!"

Rockman sighed.  _'He's still the same as always.'_

"All this talk about WWW is making me bored." Dekao butted in. "Hey, Netto! Let's have a Net Battle! Me and Gutsman are going to defeat you this time!"

"Ha! That's never happening!" Netto exclaimed as he stood up. "Me and X beat you every time!"

"I thought Net Battling isn't allowing in school." Hub said, looking at his younger sibling.

"School's over! So it's okay!" Netto grinned, looking back at his elder sibling.

"Alright." Hub sighed. "I guess I'll walk Maylu-chan home." Yaito had a private limousine to pick her up everyday after school. "You two have fun."

That got Rockman's attention. While he knew, thanks to Shadowman, that Rockman X is a buster Navi much like himself, he had never seen him fight in person. It would also be interesting to see how Netto operates him, as well.

Shadowman seemed to have noticed his intentions. "Mistress, Shall I follow them?" He spoke up, looking at Hub and Maylu.

"...Alright." Rockman nodded. He needed someone to keep an eye on Hub Hikari as well, when WWW inevitably attacks. "Make sure he's okay, but don't interfere unless you absolutely need to." He didn't want to alert the WWW to his presence that quickly.

"Of course, my Mistress."

* * *

"You're going down, Netto!"

"That's what you think! Plug in, Rockman X, transmission!"

"Plug in, Gutsman, transmission!"

Rockman watched intently as both Navies plugged into the cyber world simultaneously. He already knew Rockman X bore a resemblance to him, but it was still weird, seeing him in person.

Dekao went on the offensive immediately. "Get him, Gutsman!"

"Guts Hammer!" Forming his hand into a hammer, Gutsman slammed it onto the ground, creating a shockwave. However, being smaller and much more nimble, Rockman X was able to leap out of the way quickly.

"Nice try, but it's going to take more than that to beat us!" Netto yelled, pulling out a chip. "Attack Battlechip; Cannon! Slot in!"

"Eat this!" X's hand formed into a cannon, and fired. Gutsman, unable to get out of the way quick enough, endured the full brunt of the blast.

Rockman continued to observe the two's battle from afar, though his focus was mainly on Netto Hikari and Rockman X. He had fought Gutsman plenty of times before, so he knew exactly how Gutsman fought. Rockman X, on the other hand…

' _It seems Netto-kun operates X similarly to how he used to operate me.'_  The blue Navi pondered.  _'He realizes that Gutsman may be strong physically, so he's relying on X's speed and long ranged battle chips to maintain the advantage.'_  He watched as Netto slotted in another buster chip.  _'...Perhaps he may be relying on buster-type chips too much…'_

Rockman continued to watch the match, though it was already clear that it was unlikely that Gutsman could pull out a victory at this point.

"Stop running like a coward and fight us head on!" Dekao yelled as Rockman X continued to avoid Gutsman's attacks effortlessly.

"Mistress." Rockman was jolted out of his thoughts. Shadowman had initiated a video call with him.

"What is it, Shadowman?"

"It appears that there may be some… complications."

At that instant, Maylu's Navi, Roll, plugged into the system.

"X! Gutsman!"

That caught the attention of the two Navies immediately. "Roll? What are you doing here?" Rockman X asked her.

"It's Hub and Maylu!" Roll was frantic. "They're in trouble!"

"What?!" Both Netto and Dekao were shocked.

"The two of them just arrived at Maylu-chan's house when it happened." Roll continued. "The door locked, and the oven suddenly exploded into flames! Hub and Zero are currently fighting the viruses, but if this continues...!"

"Alright, I understand!" Netto said. "X, you go on ahead with Roll and help with the viruses!"

"Got it!"

"Gutsman, you too!" Dekao said.

"Guts!"

Rockman frowned. "Shadowman, stay put for the moment. I'm heading over immediately."


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Yes, I looked at the stats again. You guys that only read for the porn, I'll find a way to have Forte and Rockman fuck in the next chapter. And it's not because I myself want them to fuck… or anything.
> 
> Also, I still can't get over the fact that Fireman isn't actually a fireman. You know, fireman, as in those people that put out fires and stuff. I just always get a mental imagine in my head of Fireman making a fire worse and someone in the back yelling "WHO THE FUCK HIRED THIS GUY?!"

"Mistress, I have identified the Operator and Navi responsible for this attack to be Hino Kenichi and Fireman respectively, both are of the WWW." Shadowman told Rockman as he followed Roll, Rockman X and Gutsman through the cyberworld, being careful to remain hidden from their view. Both their operators had sent them ahead to help with the problem while the two boys ran on foot to Maylu house.

"Find out where they're releasing the viruses from, but don't confront them just yet." Rockman told the Shadow Navi. Regardless of who he was, allowing the WWW to know that he was interfering with their schemes would just make them more aware of his presence later on, which would make it difficult to draw them out. Stopping the viruses however, should put a stop to this attack and prevent any real harm from happening.

Moments later, the Navies entered the oven's computer in Maylu's house, Rockman trailing closely from behind and slipping onto a higher level to watch the scene play out below him. Rockman Zero had already cleared out the majority of the viruses, and with Rockman X and Gutsman helping him, they soon cleared the area of danger.

"That seems to be the last of them." Rockman Zero said as he cut through the last of the viruses with his sword.

"Yeah, it appears so." Rockman X steadied himself. Then, he gasped as he noticed something. "Zero! Gutsman! Look out!"

Both Rockman X and Zero were able to leap out of the way as a barrage of fireballs rained down upon them. Gutsman, however, wasn't. He was thrown far back by the blast.

"Gutsman!" Rockman X was alarmed. "Roll! Go see if Gutsman is alright! We'll take care of this!"

"Alright! Be careful, you two!" Roll yelled back before she ran towards the downed Navi.

"Mistress." Shadowman said as he approached Rockman from where he was standing. "I have cut off the link they have been using to send in their viruses. They won't be able to cause any more havoc."

Rockman blinked. He was constantly surprised by how quickly the shadow Navi worked. "Alright. Thanks, Shadowman." Then, he frowned.

Shadowman noticed his change and followed his gaze. Below them, Fireman had already begun his attack, sending wave after wave of fire towards the red and blue Navies.

"Damn it!" Rockman heard Hub curse. "If only we can get close enough, Zero and I can cut him down with the Z-Saber, but…!"

"I can blast through his shots with Netto-kun's battle chips, then you can get close!" Rockman X said. "We just have hold out until then!"

Shadowman's eyes narrowed. He knew his Mistress showed particular concern regarding these two Navies, but to have difficulty in fighting an opponent of such a low caliber…

Perhaps he was wrong. Perhaps there wasn't anything special about those two after all.

"I'll burn you both to a crisp!" Fireman yelled as he prepared for his final attack. "Flame Tower!"

Slamming one hand down, a pillar of flame erupted from the ground. It sped towards the two Navies, leaving behinds a trail of broken data and debris in its path.

' _This is it, then.'_ Shadow sighed internally. _'Those two are done for now.'_

"Battle Chip; Barrier! Slot in!"

The shadow Navi's eyes snapped wide open as the Flame Tower collided against a barrier instead of the two Navies as he had expected, successfully canceling out Fireman's attack. Fireman appeared just as shocked. "What?! How-"

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Nii-san!" Netto Hikari's hologram appeared besides X. "I made it just in time, didn't I?"

"Netto-kun!" Hub Hikari exclaimed, then he grinned. "Don't worry, you're just in time!"

"Alright then, let's do this!" The younger Hikari smiled back, pulling out a battle chip. "Attack Battle Chip; Vulcan! Slot it!"

Once he received the battle chip data, Rockman X aimed his buster arm at Fireman, his hand turning into a vulcan.

"Ha! You won't stop me with that!" Fireman raised both his arms. "Fire Blast!"

The two Navies matched each other shot for shot, but as each fire blast and vulcan shot collided, the resulting explosion caused the area to fill up with dust and smoke.

"-! I can't see!" The fire Navi realized, but it was too late.

"Attack Battle Chip; Area Steal! Z-Saber! Double slot in!" In an instant, Rockman Zero teleported in front of Fireman, his hands forming into a green saber. Before the other could react, Rockman Zero slashed the fire Navi across the chest, splitting the Navi wide open.

Fireman screamed. The damaged he had taken was too great to allow him to continue fighting and he was forced to plug out.

"Alright! We did it!" Netto said, turning to his brother. Hub smiled back.

"Pah! I don't believe it! Fireman, defeated by a bunch of fifth graders!" It was Fireman's operator, Hino Kenichi. "...Well, whatever! We got what we came for anyways! The next time I see you two, you won't be getting away that easily!" With that, he disconnected from the server.

While the group were busy pondering what Kenichi had meant by that statement, Shadowman couldn't quite suppress the surprise and awe that he felt. Taking both their power levels and combat strategies into consideration, it was extremely likely for the Hikari twins to be able to pull off a victory like they had, but…

The shado Navi looked back at his Mistress, expecting to see the same emotion of shock and awe that he had felt, but instead, there was a soft smile on the blue Navi's face. As if he had expected it to happen.

Feeling Shadowman's gaze on him, the blue Navi met his gaze and grinned. "The friendship between a NetNavi and his operator can't be measured with numbers, Shadowman."

"...!"

If the shadow Navi ever doubted that his Mistress knew more than he let on, those doubts would have been cleared by now.

' _As I suspected. The Mistress is more knowledgeable than he seems. It would appear that he merely needs me to confirm his own speculations.'_ Shadowman thought to himself silently. _'Now, all I need to see is if my other theory also rings true…'_

With that, the two Navies logged out of the server and retreated back to the Undernet.


	16. Chapter 16 (H)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I was sick af when typing this so hopefully it's not too bad. I'm trying to drink as much tea as I can to recover all the water I lost from sneezing and stuff but I still feel so dehydrated. FML.

Rockman was intercepted by Forte the moment he took a single step into their shared residence.

"I saw what you did in the surface net, you know."

Slightly startled, the blue Navi turned to him. Even though he had shown prior interest in the affairs of the surface net, he knew Forte would be suspicious why he had suddenly insisted on visiting the surface net himself. He just never though the dark Navi would go as far as to investigate what the blue Navi had been doing there himself.

Sensing his surprise, the dark Navi narrowed his eyes. "Did you think I wouldn't be watching?"

"...So?" Rockman said, looking away. "I would've still done what I did, whether you were watching or not."

"You're up to something." Forte pressed. "You've never wanted to get involved with either Undernet or surface net affairs before. And now, you've gone up to the surface net and actively put a stop to a net terrorist attack. Why the sudden interest?"

"Because." Rockman frowned. "I hate people like that. People who have power, but don't use it to help those in need, and step all over those who are weaker than them."

"That's none of your business." Forte scowled. "It's not your concern to protect the weak. It's not like you can protect them all even if you wanted to."

"Well," The blue Navi grit his teeth. He could see Forte's point of him being unable to protect everyone in need, considering he was only just one Navi, but that didn't take away from the value of helping others when he was able to! "It wasn't my concern to save you back then, but I still did it anyways!"

He regretted it the moment he said it. Forte expression went blank and the two Navies stared at each other awkwardly for several moments.

"...I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that… That was uncalled for." Rockman sighed, feeling guilty. "I just… I just got annoyed when you said that it wasn't my business. I know I can't help everyone in need… but knowing that doesn't make me want to help people who need it any less."

"I see." Forte looked away awkwardly. "...I'm sorry, too. I know how much you care about other people… I was just… worried that you might be taken advantage of, because of that."

Rockman gave Forte a soft smile. There were definitely still a few hiccups in between them, considering how much the two Navies actually differed from each other, but they've gotten a lot better at smoothing out these kinks. Not surprising, considering the two of them had had many years of practise.

"I still don't agree with what you're doing." Forte turned back to him as he said. "...But I don't suppose that's going to stop you."

"That's alright." Rockman grinned. Forte wouldn't be Forte if he had agreed with everything the blue Navi said. "I  _do_  promise to be safe, though. I won't do anything needlessly risky." After all, he had access to a lot more resources now than he had the first time he went up against WWW.

"I'll hold you onto that." Forte said with a slight hint of amusement. "...Don't keep me in the dark, though. Tell me what has you so concerned about the surface net all of a sudden."

"Well…" Rockman frowned. Where to begin? "...Remember when I told you about that terrorist organization?" He watched the other Navi carefully, waiting for his response, but Forte just gestured for him to continue. "Turns out, that feeling that I had several days ago… They just started their first coordinated attack today."

"You stopped them, didn't you?" Forte asked. "Why are you still so concerned?"

"Forte… I think the attack was just a distraction."

The dark Navi raised an eyebrow.

"After the twins defeated Fireman… His operator had said something about "already achieving what they came here to do"." The blue Navi explained. "So… I don't think causing havoc through their attack was their true intention."

"What do you suppose their intentions were, then?"

"...I'm not sure."

That was an outright lie. The blue Navi knew what exactly Fireman had been there for. It was for the Fire Programme. Just before he had been forced to logout, he had finished sending the Fire Programme data to his operator, which meant that they had indeed completed what they had set out to do in the first place. If he wasn't mistaken, WWW will be going after the Water, Elec and Wood Programmes shortly after.

Of course, there was no way "Mega" would know that.

"Hn." Forte regarded him carefully. "You're brighter than you look."

"Thanks." Then, he blinked. "Hey!"

"Just teasing, Mega." Forte gave him one of his rare smiles. "I still don't like it, but as long as you don't do anything too stupid, I'll tolerate it."

"Geez…" Rockman pouted slightly. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you're expecting me to "do something stupid" sooner or later."

"You don't exactly have the best track record… Though sometimes I'm still thankful for that." Forte told him. "...Pushing me out of the way like you did still had to be one of the worst things I've seen you do."

"I guess even my stupidity has some value, huh?" Rockman grinned.

"Hm." Forte hummed, leaning forward. "Perhaps I should show you just how grateful I am."

"!"

Rockman dodged Forte's hand as the other reached for his hip. He'd been with the dark Navi long enough to pick up on what was happening. "Forte, that is by far the worst reason you've ever come up with, for us to…" His face flushed red.

"What are you talking about?" Forte asked, feigning innocence. He brushed a finger across the blue Navi's cheek. "I just wanted to show you how grateful I am towards you, by making you feel good."

"..."

Damn it, he was already shivering in anticipation. Forte had been so thorough in claiming him that it didn't take his body long to recognize the dark Navi as his dominant.

In other words, he's become extremely receptive towards Forte's advances.

Rockman's breath hitched when Forte kissed him, but otherwise didn't offer up any resistance as the dark Navi tugged his cloak off and guided his body to lay bare beneath the other. His blush deepened as Forte parted his legs gently and settled in between them.

"You're still so beautiful." Forte said softly as he trailed a hand up Rockman's thigh. "I'm going to make you feel so good."

"P-please…" Rockman shivered. His body remembered all the times Forte had left him quivering with ecstasy. His insides were beginning to clench rhymetically.

Forte grinned and kissed him again. "When have I ever let you down?"

Rockman gasped, the tension in his body snapped and broke as he was entered, his insides shivered in delight as he was parted, spread around Forte's length. The blue Navi whined as he laid there, his body receptive and willing towards what the larger Navi above him was about to do to him.

"Your body seems happy to see me." Forte breathed as he began rolling his hips against the smaller Navi, coaxing out sharp gasps and whimpers from him every time he pushed up against  _there_. "Your insides are clutching around me so tightly."

"Hh-nnn…" Rockman couldn't say anything. Forte was being gentle with him right now, but his body was shivering in anticipation for when the Navi above him would inevitably turn his love-making into claiming, when the dark Navi would thrust and slam into him with such force that he couldn't help but scream in protest and pleasure as the larger Navi marked him, inside and out.

"...I've been wondering." Forte said suddenly as he thrusted up against Rockman, drawing a long whine out of the smaller Navi as the tip of his length bumped against his most sensitive spot. "You've taken so much of me in there."

Rockman jerked slightly in alarm. He suspected he knew where this was going. "F-Forte…!"

"You've probably absorbed a good amount of my data." Forte continued, forcing several sharp cries from the blue Navi as he began to thrust deeper and harder into the body below him. The dark Navi couldn't quite suppress a growl of satisfaction as he felt Rockman's soft walls tighten and clench around him. "I wonder what your body is doing with my data."

"For- Hn! A-ah…!" Rockman's breath hitched when Forte slammed against his inner opening.

"How does it feel? Knowing that there's a piece of me inside of you?" Forte breathed against his ear as he pulled at the blue Navi's hips, positioning him to get a better angle to thrust down at. The dark Navi grinned when Rockman responded with a sob and whine as that inner opening of his was repeatedly thrusted against while his body shivered and clutched encouragingly.

"Forte…!" Rockman's mind went blank. He couldn't think. The submissive part of him was overjoyed at the fact that his dominant had claimed him so thoroughly. It wanted more- It wanted his dominant to mark him, again and again, over and over.

Sensing his change, Forte began to fuck him the way he had wanted to from the start. He thrusted down, hard and fast, forcing himself against the smaller Navi over and over. The blue Navi panicked, trying to get away from the sudden overwhelming pleasure, but the other Navi had locked his hips in place, effectively keeping him still as he repeatedly thrusted into him. It didn't take long for Rockman to throw his head back as he began to sob incoherently from over stimulation.

Forte hissed as Rockman climaxed, feeling the smaller Navi clutch around him tightly. Growling, he forced the Navi below him open once more before he released himself deep inside the other's warm opening, the smaller Navi whimpering and keening as he felt himself being filled.

The blue Navi sighed, the feeling of Forte being inside him had grown familiar to him over time. Once he had regained his strength, Rockman had tried to move from underneath the other Navi, but Forte stopped him.

"Forte…"

"Wait. I'm not done showing you how thankful I am yet."

"..."

In hindsight, the blue Navi supposed he should have known he wasn't getting out of this for another long while.


	17. Chapter 17 (Renegade train)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: In the Chinese version of the manga I owned, Akira's name was localized to "Ah Ming", but that just sounds… dumb. So Akira it is.
> 
> Also, I have no idea how trains work.

"...Mistress?"

Rockman jerked back to full alertness. "Ah! What is it, Shadowman?"

The shadow Navi gave him a look. "Are you alright?"

...Damn it, he dozed off again, didn't he? "I'm- I'm fine!"

If Shadowman suspected something was up, he didn't say anything. Rockman tried to hide his blush by pulling his hood down lower.

"...It appears the class is going on a field trip today, Mistress." Shadowman said after a short pause.

' _...Oh, that's right!'_

The blue Navi grinned to himself. If he wasn't mistaken, Netto-kun was going to to pull a prank on his entire class today. Quickly, he stood up to follow Netto and the rest of the fifth graders through the net. "Come on, Shadowman! Let's go!"

* * *

About a month ago, an exchange student, Akira, arrived at ACDC Elementary School. Since he was a troublemaker as well, the younger of the Hikari twins had become quick friends with him, much to the dismay of the entire class, who had ever since been subjected to prank after prank the two of them came up with.

"Netto-kun! You're going to get yourself in trouble if you don't stop!" Rockman X had told him, after one of their more serious pranks were they had fooled their group of friends that they had been attacked by some sort of monster.

"Come on, X! We aren't hurting anyone!" Netto grinned. "Besides, it's hard to find someone who understands the value of a good prank like Akira!"

Rockman had sighed from where he was watching them.  _'Netto-kun's still the same as always.'_

However, their time together was not meant to last. Today was the last day Akira would be attending ACDC Elementary School, but Netto Hikari was not about to let his friend leave without a bang.

"Alright, class! We've arrived at our stop!" Their class teacher, Miss Mariko said as the train neared the platform. "Remember to be careful when stepping onto the platform-"

"Mariko-sensei!" Yaito interrupted her. "The train just went past our stop."

"..."

"No way!" Hub Hikari was panicking. "You don't suppose there's a virus in the control system, is there?"

"It can't be! ...Huh?" Akari noticed Netto's smug look. "Netto! Could it be…!"

"Come on! It's not like this field trip's going to be interesting or anything!" Netto gave him a thumbs up. "Let's hijack this train for today!"

"Alright!"

"This is awesome!" The class was exhilarated.

Miss Mariko was not.

"I don't believe it…" Miss Mariko was mumbling incoherently to herself. "Today's class is ruined… I'm going to be in so much trouble…"

"Mariko-sensei!" Maylu cried as their class teacher passed out from shock.

Rockman laughed to himself, slightly embarrassed. He still had no idea how Netto-kun had convinced him to go through with this prank when the younger Hikari had been his operator. However, he didn't allow himself to stay distracted. "Shadowman."

"Yes, my Mistress?"

"Go to the engine systems of the train." The blue navi told him. "When I give you the signal, cut off energy to the systems."

The shadow Navi bowed, before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

' _Now, I just need to go to the control panel of the train.'_

Netto and the others were already at the front of the train when he logged into the main control systems.

"Look! The train's going a hundred and eighty kilometers a second!" Dekao said, looking at the speed display panel.

"That's… a bit fast." Hub frowned as he commented.

"Netto-kun! Something isn't right!" Rockman X yelled from his PET. "I didn't give the order to speed up!"

"Ha! I'm not falling for that, X!" Netto grinned from ear to ear. "You can't out-prank the prank master!"

"That's- That's not a joke! I'm serious!"

Rockman's eyes narrowed.  _'Here it comes.'_

" **WARNING! WARNING!"**  It was the train's emergency system.  **"TRAIN IS ON COLLISION COURSE WITH TRAIN IN FRONT! ESTIMATED TIME OF IMPACT IS THREE MINUTES, FIFTY FIVE SECONDS!"**

"That's…!" Akira looked at Netto is shock. "This isn't a joke, is it?!"

"Of course not!" Netto was panicking as well. "I would never go this far just to pull a prank!"

"Then that means there's a virus in the train's computer system for real." Hub Hikari concluded. "We'll have to plug into the train's main control system and delete the viruses if we want to stop this train."

"Alright then!" Netto Hikari said. "Akira, just in case, you get everyone to the back of the train. Me and nii-san will take care of the viruses."

"Okay…" Akira looked solem. "Netto… you be careful, got it?"

"Leave it to me!" Netto smiled back. "Plug in-"

"Rockman X-"

"Rockman Zero-"

"-Transmission!"

In a flash of red and blue, the two Navies entered the main control system of the train, both taken aback by the scene before them.

"This place is crawling with viruses!" Rockman X said.

"We have no choice but to delete them all." Hub Hikari frowned, taking out a battle chip. "Zero, let's go!"

" **ESTIMATED TIME OF IMPACT: THREE MINUTES, ELEVEN SECONDS!"**

" **ESTIMATED TIME OF IMPACT: TWO MINUTES, THIRTY TWO SECONDS!"**

" **ESTIMATED TIME OF IMPACT: ONE MINUTE, TWENTY FOUR SECONDS!"**

Rockman frowned as he watched the twins continue to struggle with the viruses. He believed in the two Hikaris' abilities to put a stop to the train's rampage, but if he had to, he wouldn't hesitate to have Shadowman short circuit the engine's computer so the train to come to a halt.

"Hub-san." Rockman Zero said. "The viruses just keep on coming."

"At this rate…" Hub looked at the younger Hikari. "Netto."

Netto met his gaze. "Nii-san."

Rockman grew confused and slightly curious as the twins nodded at each other, as if coming to an agreement. He watched as the two of them went to the back of the control room.

"You ready?" The elder Hikari asked.

Netto nodded. "Of course."

Then, the twins did something that would have given Rockman a heart attack had he been human. Unlocking the safety, the two twins pulled up both handles in sync, decoupling the head of the train from the rest of the body. Without the head, the rest of the train would begin to slow down and stop after a while, but that would mean…

Without the extra weight holding it down, the head of the train suddenly jumped up in speed.

" **ESTIMATED TIME OF IMPACT: TWENTY SECONDS!"**

Rockman blanched. Even if he had Shadowman stop the train now, there was no way they were avoiding an impact!

"At least everyone else is safe." Hub Hikari smiled softly. Then, he blinked. "Ah! Netto!"

The younger of the Hikari's looked up. "What is it?" He followed Hub's gaze. His eyes widened. The could already see the back of the other train.

"I guess this is it-!" Hub Hikari closed his eyes shut, unwilling to watch as the two trains drew closer to each other-

Then, a miracle happened. The train in front of them had switched tracks, just barely avoiding collision. Netto gasped, then breathed a sigh of relief. "Ah! That was close! The train switched tracks- I thought we were done for!"

Hearing this, the elder Hikari reopened his eyes. "...The central control room must have noticed what happened." He said, then his gaze turned determined. "...That should have bought us more time to regain control of this train!"

"Yeah! I'm not giving up, either!" The younger Hikari nodded. "Come on, Nii-san! Let's put a stop to this train!"

"On it!"

The two twins ran back to the control room.

Meanwhile, having witnessed the entire thing, Rockman felt faint.

' _These two… they're really something.'_  The blue Navi thought to himself.  _'But if they keep this up, they'll really end up scaring me to deletion.'_


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: For some reason, I feel happy just writing these chapters. The overly positive nature of this series must be getting to me. I can't wait to start the chapters with the Darkloids where they actually begin introducing some… "darker", elements. Heh.
> 
> Also, no joke, but Elecman is like my second favorite NetNavi, right after Rockman.

" **TRAIN COURSE CHANGE DETECTED! NOW RECALCULATING; ESTIMATED TIME OF IMPACT: SEVEN MINUTES, THIRTY SECONDS!"**

"That should be the last of them!" Rockman Zero said as he cut up one of the final viruses with his Z-Saber.

"But the train still isn't stopping!" Netto Hikari yelled as he attempted to activate the brakes manually. "And the breaks won't come up!"

"Maybe there's someone else behind this?" Rockman X wondered, looking around the area. Then, his eyes widened as he noticed something. "Ah! Look out!"

Heeding his warning, Rockman Zero leapt out of the way just in time, as a thunderbolt struck down from the sky towards where he had been standing. "That was close…" The red Navi sighed in relief. "But who…?"

As the dust and smoke cleared, a dark figure appeared in front of the two Navies. From where he was standing, Rockman had instantly recognized the Navi that was seemingly responsible for the renegade train, but…

' _That's weird. He's not supposed to show up so soon.'_  Rockman frowned.  _'Perhaps WWW may be reacting to how quickly their previous attack had been shut down?'_

"My name is Elecman!" The Navi proclaimed, staring down at the Hikari twin's Navies.

"So you're the one behind those viruses!" Hub Hikari said.

"Stop this train at once!" Rockman X yelled, aiming his buster at the electric Navi.

With a flick of his hands, an electric field crackled to life, surrounding Elecman. "Fools. You may have defeated Fireman, but don't think you'll be deleting me that easily- I am far stronger than he is!"

"This guy knows Fireman?" Netto Hikari was surprised. "Then that means he's with WWW, too! Nii-san! We have to defeat him, quick!"

"On it!" The elder Hikari took out a battle chip. "Let's get him, Zero! Attack Battle Chip; Sword! Slot in!"

The red Navi dashed towards Elecman, his hand forming into a sword, but Elecman was ready with a counter.

"You can't hurt me with that! Elec Sword!" Elecman's hand formed into a sword as well, but this one bustling with barely contained electricity. The energy making a buzzing and sizzling sound as the two swords collided.

"Oh yeah? Then how about this?" Netto Hikari grinned, pulling out his own Battle Chips. "Attack Battle Chip; Canon, slot in!"

"You're finished now!" Rockman X's aimed his hand at Elecman as it formed into a canon. "Take that!"

The blast connected with the electric Navi, causing him to grunt as he recoiled slightly. "Not bad." He commented, glaring at the red and blue Navies. "But that won't be enough to defeat me."

"What do you- Ah!" Rockman X gasped as he saw Elecman's wound quickly begin to heal, the damaged bits of data being repaired in an instant as his injury disappeared completely. "He's feeding off of the electricity that's fueling the train!"

"Now you see how fultile your efforts are." Elecman raised his hands. "Electric Blast!"

"Argh!" Having been caught of guard, the red and blue Navies were both thrown back by the blast. Rockman's eyes narrowed.  _'I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that WWW would fight with an unfair advantage.'_

Having gained the upper hand, Elecman sent bolt and bolt of electricity and the two Navies opposing him. "You're not leaving my thunderstorm alive!"

" **ESTIMATED TIME OF IMPACT: FOUR MINUTES, THIRTEEN SECONDS!"**

"Nii-san!" Netto Hikari turned to his sibling. "What can we do? He'll just keep on recovering all the damage we do to him!"

"...We'll just have to try as hit him as hard as we can." Hub Hikari said after a moment of pondering. "If we can deal enough damage to him in one shot, we might be able to delete him, or in the very least, force him to log out without giving him the chance to recover…"

"...Alright, we'll do that." Netto Hikari nodded. He then grinned at Rockman X. "X, let's clear the way for Nii-san and Zero!"

Rockman X smiled back. "Ready when you are!"

"Not so fast!" Elecman held both his hands out once more, sending another ball of electricity at the blue Navi. "I won't let you do that! Electric Blast!"

"I've got this!" Netto smiled as he took out a Battle Chip. "Attack Battle Chip; Wide Shot! Slot in!"

Rockman X's hand formed into a shotgun and fired, the wide shot cutting through the ball of electricity. Shocked by this turn of events, Elecman wasn't able to dodge out of the way in time as the rest of the wideshot cut through him.

"Kuh! This is nothing…!" The electric Navi ground out. "I'll just heal-"

"As if we'll let you do that! Zero!" Hub Hikari pulled out his own Battle Chips. "Attack Battle Chip; Area Steal! Z-Saber! Double slot in!"

In an instant, the red Navi disappeared and reappeared in front of Elecman, his hand, formed into the familiar green saber, had sliced through the electric Navi, cutting him in half. Elecman screamed in pain, but his expression shifted briefly into a crooked smile.

"Guh! E-even if you've managed to defeat me… It's too late!" The electric Navi laughed. "I-I've successfully sent the Elec Programme to my operator… WWW's plans will come to fruition!" With that, he was forced to log out from the control systems.

" **ESTIMATED TIME OF IMPACT: ONE MINUTE!"**

"I can activate the brakes manually now!" Netto Hikari yelled. "Nii-san! Help me with this!"

"Okay!" Hub Hikari grabbed onto one handle as his younger sibling held onto the other. "Three, two-!"

The twins pulled back of both handles simultaneously, the entire car of the train shaking and screeching as the brakes were activated. The twins watched with growing worry as the train drew closer and closer to the end of the tracks.

"The train isn't going to stop in time!" the younger of the Hikaris screamed.

"Don't worry- it will!" The elder Hikari said, despite being terrified himself. "Zero! See if you can tilt the train from the systems!"

"Got it!"

Steering the train to the left, the side of the train collided with the wall of the tunnel the train was in, the friction causing a loud screeching sound as sparks began to fly. Finally, just before the train could collide against the end of the tunnel, it slowly grinded to a complete halt. Both Hikaris stared in shock for a brief moment, before Netto Hikari collapsed to the floor.

"That was too close!" Netto sighed. "I can't believe we actually managed it!"

Hub gave him a small smile. "...I guess you'll think twice before you decide to pull another one of your pranks, huh."

"Hey! That wasn't me! That was WWW!"

Watching the scene, Rockman smiled as he despawned the Lightning Rod he had summoned with his spare Battle Chip data. He didn't think anyone would have minded if he leveled the playing field a bit. "Shadowman, we're done here." The blue Navi said through an audio call. "Let's go-"

"Hold it."

Rockman jolted in surprise. Reacting on pure instinct, he sidestepped out of the way, just in time to dodge the slash of a blade that passed right by him. The datacube behind him wasn't as lucky, and got sliced in half.

' _That voice…!'_

Somewhat reluctantly, Rockman turned towards the source of the attack. Before him, was a familiar red and black Navi.

' _Blues!'_  The blue Navi swallowed. He didn't think the other Navi would recognize who he was, but he had never been more glad to have a hood over his head than he was now- Blues somehow was always able to pick up on his ticks.

' _I guess he's a Net Police in this timeline as well, huh… But why is he here now?'_

First, it was WWW's attacks, and now Blues' appearance. Had he somehow, unknowingly sped up the development of things in this timeline?

"So," The red Navi raised his sword at him. "What's your connection with WWW?"

"?!" Rockman almost didn't resist the urge to yell. "...What makes you think I'm connected to WWW?"

"An Independent Navi observing a cyber attack play out by the sidelines…" Blues took a step forward. "Unless you want to claim that you were just caught in the crossfire, it doesn't get more incriminating than that, does it?"

"..." Damn it, Rockman really had no idea how to talk his way out of this one. From Blues' point of view, he supposed he did appear pretty suspicious, since he was indeed watchin the twin's battle with Elecman play out from above, far away from harm, but…

"Nothing to say?" Blues frowned. "Then I'll just have to delete you and take your memory data!"

Not expecting the sudden escalation in this situation, the blue Navi was fully expecting to be hit with Blues' sword as the red Navi dashed towards him at sonic speed-

That was, until Shadowman intercepted him with a shuriken, forcing Blues to back off to avoid being hit with his attack. The shadow Navi quickly positioned himself in front of Rockman.

"How dare you attack my Mistress." Shadowman said as he raised his own sword. "I'll make sure you pay dearly for that."

Snapping back into full awareness, Rockman quickly grabbed hold of Shadowman's wrist. "Shadowman, don't!"

The action surprised both the shadow Navi and Net Police. Shadowman looked back at him in confusion. "Mistress…?"

"Don't mind him." Rockman said as he regained his composure. It wasn't that he thought Blues was weak, but considering that it was still quite early in the timeline, and that Shadowman was an Undernet Navi… Rockman just couldn't see it ending well if the two of them were indeed going to fight. "Just take us back to the Undernet."

"...Hmph." It was clear that the shadow Navi was reluctant to let this offence go unpunished, but he would never consider disobeying a direct request from his Mistress. He turned back to Blues. "Don't expect to get away that easily the next time we cross paths!" Then, he summoned several smoke bombs, and threw them onto the ground.

Blues watched in surprise, quickly followed by frustration as the two Navies were nowhere to be found once the smoke had cleared.


	19. Chapter 19 (H)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:...I wonder how much porn I can fit into this story before it's over. Considering there's like 6 games of content to go through, we still got tons of ground to cover so... enjoy, I guess.

Rockman sighed as he entered the Undernet. Just watching the twins pull off that stunt like they had had been extremely draining on him. And then there was the problem with Blues…

The blue Navi bit his lip. If his knowledge of Blues was anything to go by, then the red Navi would be anything if not persistent. Rockman might have gotten away with this encounter relatively unharmed, but the next time he ran into Blues…

"Mistress? Are you alright?" Shadowman seemed to have sensed his unease.

Rockman shook his head. "I'm alright." There was no use worrying about it right now- it wouldn't help him anyways. He'll definitely need to be more careful next time, though. "Thanks, Shadowman. I knew I can trust you to look out for me." He gave the other Navi a small smile.

"It is my honor, Mistress." The shadow Navi said. Then, as if having sensed something, he looked to the side. Rockman followed his gaze to see the Black Shadow approaching them.

"There you are, Mega." Forte took his hand once he got close. "Come. I found something you might be interested in."

* * *

Rockman already suspected what it was before he had gotten close, but its appearance in the Undernet still surprised him. "This is…"

"Some sort of virus, that's for sure." Forte narrowed his eyes as he floated closer. "I've never seen any like this in the Undernet before, though."

Rockman frowned as he carefully observed the wrangled form of the virus with half its body missing, damaged and broken data quickly dissipating into thin air. The blue Navi had never seen this sort of virus before, but it was still oddly familiar to him. For one, the head of this virus resembles that of the Dream Virus, from what Rockman can remember. Though it was an odd shade of red, instead of green, like the Dream Virus had been. Rockman grimaced as one of its bug-like appendages started twitching.

"If no one's ever seen this sort of viruses in the Undernet before, then they must have been released into the Undernet, somehow." Rockman suspected that it had been the work of WWW, considering the uncanny resemblance with this virus and the Dream Virus. That made him wonder how he had never ran into them in his previous timeline, however. Perhaps these viruses were never released onto the surface net, and considering he didn't enter the Undernet in his timeline until much later, after the Dream Virus had been deleted, perhaps it hadn't been that much of a surprise after all.

"Hm." Forte hummed, tilting his head. "That's not the only thing, though."

"Huh?" Rockman looked at the dark Navi, confused. "What do you mean?"

"After I deleted this virus, I noticed something in its programme." Forte explained. "Look."

Rockman jumped back, slightly startled when a bright red aura surrounded the other Navi. "Th-that's…!"

"I took this off of the virus." The dark Navi frowned slightly. "It appears to be some sort of aura, but it doesn't do much. You can still pass through it." Rockman reached his hand out experimentally, and indeed, it passed through the red aura without any trouble at all, but…

Rockman already knew what was happening. He'd pieced together the entire puzzle. "Forte, I think I know what this is."

"I know." Forte met his gaze. "It has something to do with that terrorist organization you're so worried about, right?"

"Ye-yeah!" The blue Navi was still shocked at how sharp Forte was. "Just now, WWW launched their second attack. The NetNavi responsible claimed to have stolen the Elec Programme that was powering the entire train system, so this aura…"

"They must have created it from the Fire Programme they stole during their last attack." The dark Navi concluded. "So that's what their true intentions were."

Rockman fell silent. If he hadn't already lived through this entire ordeal once, the blue Navi doubted he would have figured out what WWW had been up to until the last moment. Forte, however, had just come to the same conclusion as he had by just using his logic and reasoning…

"..." Forte was silent for a moment as well. "Mega, you should look out for places with large bodies of water in them."

Rockman was dumbstruck. "Wh-what?"

"There's an obvious pattern, isn't there?" Forte explained. "There's four elements, Fire, Elec, Water and Wood. If what you said is true, and WWW already has the Fire and Elec programmes, do you think they're going to stop there?"

"..."

Damn. He should really be asking what Forte was thinking instead of it being the other way around. Where was the dark Navi the first time around when he had to figure out what WWW's plans was? "Well, what do you think, then?"

"Me?"

"Yeah." The blue Navi smiled encouragingly. "Go on, tell me."

"..." Forte looked to the side. "If they're creating auras using the elemental programmes… I would say they're attempting to create an aura that can repel any sort of elemental damage."

"What…?" That was… true. But Forte had made quite a big leap in logic. "Can you explain that to me?"

"Look, Mega." Forte waved his hand at the red aura. "One aura in itself is pretty useless. Besides from the element it's suppressing, anything can basically just pass through it effortlessly. This is hardly something anyone can weaponize, especially a terrorist organization."

"Yeah… but how does that translate to combining the auras together?"

Forte looked at him as if he was six. "...Mega, if one aura repelles the element it suppresses, then what would you get if you combine all four auras together?"

"An aura that can repel all elemental attacks…?"

The dark Navi nodded. "Doesn't that sound like something that can be weaponized?"

"..." Rockman regarded him silently before his expression broke out into a smile. "Your professionalism is showing, Forte." The blue navi suspected that it had something to do with Forte being a security Navi in the past.

Forte's expression immediately turned annoyed. "...Whatever."

"-Hey, wait! Where're you going?" Rockman ran after him. "Don't just stop there! Tell me how to counter it!"

The dark Navi snorted. "Not in my field; I just find the problems. I don't fix them."

"Come on! You must know something!" The blue Navi pouted as he continued pestering the other. "Tell me! Tell me!"

"Hm." Forte turned back, smirking. "...Well, I  _might_  know something, if you convince me  _hard_  enough."

That got Rockman to stop in his tracks immediately, his face went bright red. "F-Forte! Can you go  _one_  day without thinking about  _that_?!"

"I didn't say anything." The dark Navi said, innocently enough. "You made that connection yourself."

"Th-that's… That's…!" Rockman flustered, embarrassed. "That's your fault- Ah…!" He grabbed both of Forte's wrists with his hands as the dark Navi took hold of his waist.

"Yet, I don't see you complaining any of those times." Forte pulled his hands back. "Come here."

"..." Rockman allowed himself to be pulled against the other Navi's chest. Reaching his hands up, he wound them around Forte's neck. He gasped when Forte reached under his cloak and touched him  _there._

"Relax." Forte told him as he shivered. "I just want to see if I can make you come using just my fingers."

"?!" The blue Navi attempted to jerk back. "Forte! That's- Ah! Hn-nnn…!"

"Hold on. I've got you." One arm wound around his waist, Forte had already slid his other arm downwards, hooking his fingers and using two of them to part Rockman's insides. Legs shaking, the blue Navi can only hug the other's neck tighter.

"For-Forte… This isn't- Hnn…! Th-this isn't g-going to work…"

"Hm?" The dark Navi curled his fingers and chuckled slightly in amusement when he managed to coax out a small whine from the smaller Navi. "You really should have more faith in me, Mega. I've been practising something, just for you."

Just the sound of that alone worried Rockman a great deal. "I'd… I'd rather n-Ah! D-don't…!" He writhed as Forte slid a third finger in alongside the other two, rubbing them up against one of his more sensitive spots.

"You'll like it. I promise." Forte kissed him lightly. "Now…"

Rockman yelped, his entire body jerked when he felt it- it was as if an electric shock had shot through his body. He clutched onto the other Navi tighter as he trembled. "Forte! Wh-what was tha- Hn!" He was cut off by his own cry as the feeling jolted through his body again.

Forte held him tighter. "How does it feel?"

"I don't, I don- A-ahhh!" His legs were shaking. If he hadn't been clinging onto the other Navi so tightly, Rockman knew he would have collapsed already. "S-stop…!"

"I don't know…" Forte spread his fingers wide apart just as Rockman's insides clenched tighter. "You seem to be enjoying it."

"N-no…!" Rockman sobbed, both terrified and excited at the same time. The dark navi responded to each of his reactions expertly; curling and thrusting his fingers up into him as the smaller Navi gasped and whined, each spark of energy that shot through his body driving him closer and closer to climax until his body finally gave out, his soft walls giving a harsh sudder, clutching around the intruding fingers tightly. Rockman gasped and panted as his climax subsided. "Forte, wh-what was that…?"

"You know those energy shots I can do without having the summon a buster?" Forte asked, still holding onto him.

"I…" Rockman knew that. Unless specifically programmed otherwise, most Navies were unable to shoot energy shots directly from their hands, as the energy from these shots were likely to damage them as well. To circumvent this, most Navies would shift their arms into a buster and fire the shot that way. "What… what does that have to do with anything…?"

"I've been practising, but just with a small amount of energy." Rockman gasped as that now familiar spark shot through his body again. Forte grinned. "Just like that."

"...!"

The blue Navi just stared at him. He wasn't able to put it into words- What on Earth had prompted Forte to- How had Forte even imagined that energy could be applied in  _this_ way?! "You…!"

The dark navi shrugged. "I told you. I've been practising this just for you."

"You…! Unbelievable!" The blue Navi's face was entirely red at this point. "You're- You're insufferable, you know that?! Now let go!" He attempted to push the other off.

Forte didn't allow it. He held on tighter. "But Mega, you still haven't  _convinced_  me yet."

"Th- That's not my problem!" Rockman panicked. "Le- Ah! F-Forte! Sto- Hnn…! Don't…! A-ah… Hnnn..."

He  _really_  should have known better by now.


	20. Chapter 20 (Waterworks frozen)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Oh my fucking god I just found the biggest plot hole in the Rockman GBA games that I will now have to find a way to circumvent in this fic. Fuck.

The thing was, even though Rockman understood Forte's logic clearly, and that WWW was likely going to launch their third attack aimed at the Water Programme, the blue Navi just couldn't figure out where the Water Programme had been- He must have missed that part entirely the first time around.

...Come to think of it, he didn't believed he knew where the Wood Programme was located as well. The Navi and his operator had just sort of… left it to the Net Police to figure things out, while they were busy mastering full syncro.

That was a huge oversight on his part. So now, Rockman basically found himself a sitting duck once more as he waited for WWW's next attack.

"Mistress, that child appears to be unusually distressed."

"Hm?" The blue Navi looked over to where Shadowman was watching. It was one of Netto Hikari's classmates, but Rockman believed the two of them hadn't been acquainted yet. "What do you mean?"

"The boy was fine a moment ago." The shadow Navi explained. "But now, he's showing signs of extreme distress. I can even sense it from here."

"Oh dear…" Did he just received a message about his family? The blue Navi hoped nothing too bad had happened. "I hope he's fine…"

The class ended not long after that.

* * *

"I can't believe it, Netto-kun! This is the third time this week that you've gotten yourself into trouble!"

"You can't blame me for that!" The Hikari looked at Maylu. "Homework is so boring!"

"Maybe if you'd actually pay attention in class, you'd know how to do it." The elder Hikari told him.

Netto Hikari groaned. "Not you, too!"

Hub gave him a small grin. Then, he gasped. "Look out!"

"Huh?" Not being able to react quickly enough, the younger of the two Hikaris yelped as he was pushed to the side, falling to the ground as he lost his balance.

"Ah! I'm sorry!" The group heard someone yell. They looked just in time to see the figure that had just ran past them speeding off into the distance.

"Owww… That hurt… huh?" Netto had felt something with his hand. Not recognizing the object, he picked it up and yelled towards the retreating figure. "Hey! You dropped this- huh?" The person was nowhere to be seen.

"How weird…" Hub said to himself as he helped his younger sibling up.

"Isn't that Tohru Hikawa?" Maylu asked.

"Who?" Netto was still confused.

"He's a student in our class, but he usually sits in the back." Maylu explained. "Netto-kun, what was that you picked up just now?"

"I dunno…" The Hikari twirled the object between his fingers briefly. "Seems to be some sort of card…"

"That looks like a key card." Hub pondered as he inspected the card Netto was holding.

"Oh, that's right!" Maylu seemed to have remembered something. "Doesn't his father work at the Waterworks?"

"Does this mean that this is a key card for the Water Plant?" Netto was surprised. "This is too important! Let's get to the Waterworks and return it to him!"

"Water...works?" Watching the entire thing through the net, Rockman stopped to ponder for a moment.

Could that be it? Could the Waterworks be the third location WWW launched their attack on?

And then there was the thing with Tohru…

"Mistress, is everything alright?" Shadowman asked him.

Rockman frowned. "Shadowman, can you locate Tohru-kun?"

The shadow Navi paused for a moment, briefly checking the flow of data through the net. "...I cannot, my Mistress. It would appear that the signal from his PET is being blocked, somehow."

The blue Navi narrowed his eyes. Even he could tell when something suspicious was up. "It seems we aren't returning to the Undernet just yet, Shadowman. We'll have to make a detour to the Waterworks first."

* * *

"That's weird! No one seems to be here!" Netto Hikari said once the trio arrived at the Waterworks.

"Maybe they're all inside?" Hub Hikari wondered. "Let's use the Key Card to get inside."

"Are you sure that's okay?" Maylu seemed worried.

"We're just here to return this Key Card, so it's alright!" The younger of the Hikaris reasoned. Once the three of them entered, however, there was still no one to be seen.

"That can't be right!" Hub said, looking around. "Aren't there supposed to be lots of people working here?"

"Ah! Netto! Hub!" Maylu cried suddenly, "Look!"

"What is it, Maylu?" Netto asked as the two Hikari twins turned to her.

"It's on the news!" Maylu continued. "Reports of water shortages throughout the city are all over the news!"

"Water shortages?" Hub gasped. "Do you think that it has something to do with what's happening at Waterworks right now?"

"That must be it!" Netto took out his PET. "Nii-san! Let's plug in and figure out what happened!"

"Alright!" Hub Hikari took out his PET, too.

"Wait, I'll help, too!" Maylu smiled. "Plug in-"

"Rockman X!"

"Rockman Zero!"

"Roll!"

"Transmission!"

The three Navies entered into the Waterworks computer. They noticed the problem at once.

"Hub-san! The Waterworks computer is completely frozen!" Rockman Zero said.

"Frozen?" Hub was confused. "But how… Ah! Zero, look out!"

The red Navi dodged out of the way just in time to avoid a blizzard aimed towards him. He formed his hand into a buster. "Who is it, show yourself!"

"..."

Rockman Zero was surprised when a small, eskimo-like Navi walked out from behind one of the pillars of ice. "You're responsible for all of this?"

"He's not the only one! Hee hee hee!"

Alarmed, the red Navi turned around to see another Navi approaching him, this one resembling a clown on a ball. "Who're you?!"

"I'm Colouredman!" The clown-like Navi laughed, wagging his finger. "And I'm afraid little kids like you aren't allowed here! Hee hee!"

Rockman Zero aimed his buster at Colouredman. "Return Waterworks back to normal!"

"Ooh! Scary!" Colouredman made a scared face. "But are you going to attack me, even at the risk of your friends?" At this, the clown-like Navi pointed. Zero followed with his gaze to see both Rockman X and Roll with their feet frozen in place; apparently, they hadn't been quick enough to dodge out of the blizzard.

"That's- That's fighting dirty!" The red Navi yelled at Colouredman.

"You don't know dirty yet! Hee hee!" The clown Navi laughed. "Now, Iceman! Get him!"

"!"

This time, Zero hadn't been fast enough to react when another blizzard hit him, completely freezing him in one fell swoop.

"Zero? Zero!" Hub screamed when the signal to his NetNavi was cut off.

"I can't reach Roll!" Maylu cried.

"I can't reach X, either!" Netto grit his teeth. "Damn it- huh?"

His elder sibling noticed his change. "What is it, Netto-kun?"

"I just received an anonymous message… I'll read it." Netto frowned. "'Iceman's operator's father held hostage. Location; basement closet next to stairs'..."

"Iceman's operator's father has been held hostage?" Maylu asked, seemingly worried. "Can it be true…?"

"I'm not sure, but this is the best lead we've got." Hub Hikari said. "Come on, if we can find him, then perhaps Iceman will stop this!"

"Alright!" Netto Hikari nodded. He turned to Maylu. "Let's go!"

Meanwhile, Shadowman was watching the entire thing unfold in through the net.

"Mistress, are you certain? To entrust these children with something so important…"

"I'm sure, Shadowman." Rockman smiled. "They just need a hand. They'll figure things out for themselves soon enough."

"..." The shadow Navi said nothing else. He looked back towards the lower level of the Waterworks computer, where Iceman and Colouredman were.

' _I hope you are correct, my Mistress. It does not appear they have much time left…'_


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Apparently, the place where I came from got this weird dub where most of the character names followed the Japanese version, but some of the characters got a weird mix of the US and Japanese versions of their names. The names I'm using in this fic is mostly based on my memories of the version of the anime I watched as a kid, but at least in our dub Netto Hikari actually sounds like a twelve year old. Shots kind of fired.

Internally, Rockman's mind was racing.

While WWW did acquire all four elemental programmes last time, Rockman didn't think they had gone as far as to attack the Waterworks for it; the blue Navi would have definitely noticed something as severe as water outrageous across the entire city. In fact, ever since he started interfering with WWW's plans, their attacks seemed to be growing in severity each time.

If this trend was to continue, Rockman shuddered to think what WWW would do in order to get their hands on the Wood Programme. Adding to the fact that Rockman still hadn't the faintest clue of where it was and how to avoid potential casualties, the blue Navi hoped it wouldn't be anything devastating.

"Aah haa haa! Frozen! They're all frozen!" Colouredman was giggling hysterically. He turned to Iceman. "And it's all thanks to you!"

Iceman, obviously an unwilling accomplice to his crime, only glared at him.

"Awww! Why the sad face? Cheer up! Hee hee!" The clown Navi laughed, taunting him. "Just think about it! I would've never managed to hijack Waterworks computer, and steal the Water Programme without you! Hee hee! ...Oh?" Colouredman seemed to have realized something at that. "...Well, I guess I won't be needing you anymore then, do I! Ha!"

The ice Navi gasped, only having a brief moment to react when Colouredman fired a huge ball his way, Iceman only barely managing to roll out of its path.

"Urgh! You're- you're horrible!" Iceman yelled as he got up. Colouredman looked unfazed, putting his hands on his hips.

"Hee hee! That's just how it goes!" The clown Navi made a face. "Hee hee! Here it comes!"

Hearing a rumbling sound coming from behind him, Iceman turned back to see the huge ball rolling back towards him. This time, he had been unable to avoid the attack in time, and was sent flying as the ball collided with him. "Argh!"

"Haa haa haa!" Colouredman was in hysterics. "Delete, delete, delete!"

"Iceman!" Tohru Hikawa was screaming from within the control room. He slammed his fist onto the table. He knew nothing good was going to come out of cooperating with WWW, but he didn't have a choice…!

"Tohru-kun!"

The boy gasped and stood up abruptly. He hadn't realized that someone else had entered the room. He turned to the source of the voice. "Wh-who?!"

It was Maylu Sakurai. She offered him a smile. "Your father's safe, Tohru!"

"My, my father?" Tohru asked, still slightly shocked and in disbelief.

"We know what happened!" Maylu attempted to convince him. "Netto and Hub found your father tied up in one of the basement closets! We know you're only doing this because your father has been held hostage!"

"Does that mean- is my father really safe?" Tohru asked once more.

"He is!" Maylu nodded. "So please, stop this!"

"...!" It only took Tohru an instant to decide what to do. "Iceman!"

Hearing this, the ice Navi looked up from where he was laying on the ground. Using the last of his strength, Iceman raised his hand towards one of the ice pillars, creating a swirl of wind that collided against the ice, melting it instantly. Colouredman, surprised by this turn of events, hadn't been able to stop him in time.

"Why you…!" The clown Navi fumed. He drew closer to the downed Navi. "Why I oughta-!"

He was stopped by a flash of red. In an instant, Rockman Zero, having been thwarted out of the ice, intercepted the clown Navi. "I'm your opponent!"

"Wha-Ahhh!" Shocked, Colouredman threw his hands up. He quickly regained his composure. "Ah, haa haa! You don't scare me!" Jumping up into the air, he prepared for his attack. "Go get him, ball!"

Colouredman once again fired his ball, this time aimed at the red Navi, but Zero was ready for it.

"Z-Saber!" His hand transformed into a green saber. He dashed towards the oncoming barrage, before slashing with his Z-Saber, cutting the ball in half. "You're next!"

Completely caught off guard, Colouredman screamed as the saber slashed him across his body. There was no way he could continue fighting after having sustained that sort of damage. "I'm sorry… Miss Madori…! B-but at least… we've got the Water Programme…! Hee hee hee…!" With that, he was forced to log out.

Shortly after, water supply to the city was restored, and Tohru Hikawa was reunited with his father.

"...I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused, everyone…" Tohru said.

"That's okay, it's not your fault!" Netto Hikari assured him. "You were just worried about your dad! WWW is to blame for this!"

"That's right." Hub Hikari agreed. "...But there's still one thing I don't understand."

"Hm?" The younger Hikari turned to him. "What is it?"

"It's about that anonymous message you received." Hub frowned. "I wonder who sent it…"

"Does it matter?" Netto shrugged, grinning. "They helped us, didn't they? So they're good in my books, whoever they are!"

"Netto…" The elder Hikari sighed. "I hope you are right."

Rockman smiled softly to himself as he left the scene. He turned to his companion. "So, Shadowman, what do you think?"

"... I am still uncertain of my opinion on them, my Mistress." Shadowman replied. "But… I can see the potential in them." Then, the shadow Navi abruptly snapped into full awareness. He unsheathed his sword instantly. "Mistress, watch out."

Rockman stopped in his tracks as Shadowman stepped in front of him. The blue navi was confused for a brief moment, before he realized the NetNavi that stood before them.

"Blues!" Rockman gasped before he could stop himself. He mentally kicked himself for that slip-up.

"..." If the red Navi was surprised by it, he didn't show it. "Funny how you always show up at the first signs of trouble."

The blue Navi bit his lip. There was no arguing with that. "...I'm not the one causing the trouble, am I?"

"That's for me to decide." In a flash, Blues' hand formed into his trademark sword. Without pause, he leapt towards the two Navies, and slashed his sword. But Shadowman was ready with a counter. He met Blues' sword with his own, a loud clunk sounding out as the two swords collided. The red Navi jumped back, seemingly shocked; up until this point, he had yet to confront a Navi that could match him in speed. However, sensing his opening, Shadowman turned to the offensive. Summoning multiple shurikens, he threw one after another at the red Navi before Rockman could stop him. Blues managed to deflect most of the shurikens with his sword, but that left him open to attack. Raising his sword, Shadowman made a mad dash towards the red Navi, ready to slice him apart, but Rockman was quick enough to react this time. "Shadowman, don't!"

The shadow Navi reacted just in time to position his sword out of the way, but he did end up kneeing Blues in the abdomen. Rockman winced when the other was went flying backwards. He quickly turned to the shadow Navi. "Come on! Let's go!"

* * *

"Mistress… If you don't mind me asking, who was that Navi?" Shadowman asked him once they had gotten back to the common net.

"He's…" Rockman frowned slightly. He didn't want to lie, but technically, he and Blues hadn't been acquainted yet, in this timeline. "He's a Net Police Officer." He decided to go with something more general.

"...Have you met him before, my Mistress?" Shadowman asked. Rockman supposed he should have expected that, what with him accidentally saying out the red Navi's name and all.

"...It's complicated…" Rockman said, unsure of how to answer. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a crowd of NetNavies that had formed not too far from where the two of them were standing. They seemed to be huddling around a message board, discussing something.

"What's going on over there, Shadowman?" The blue Navi asked, genuinely curious.

Shadowman narrowed his eyes as he listened in on the Navi's conversation from afar. "They appear to be talking about something called the "N1 Grand Prix", my Mistress."

"N1 Grand Prix…?" The name was familiar to Rockman, but he couldn't quite remember where he had heard it from.

"It appears to be a tournament of some sort. " Shadowman continued as he listened on. "A tournament where NetNavies compete in net battles to determine who the strongest net battler in Den City is."

"Oh!" He remembered now. Netto Hikari had been excited for that tournament in his previous timeline, but the whole thing ended up being cancelled when WWW decided to launch their final attack, the "End Game". There was no way a tournament that size could be held amongst all that chaos that had happened.

Perhaps since he had played a part in helping minimize the chaos in WWW's previous attacks, the tournament could be held this time around?

Ah, it was a shame, though, that he still couldn't participate in this tournament. He supposed Netto-kun would be joining the tournament with his NetNavi, Rockman X, while Hub Hikari would be entering along with Rockman Zero. Still, that didn't mean he couldn't spectate…

The blue Navi smiled as an idea formed inside his mind.


	22. Chapter 22 (N1 Grand Prix part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I basically turn into Higgory when he's talking about Battle Chips whenever someone mentions "Rockman" or "Megaman" in the room. That's not even a joke.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this."

Rockman looked back at the other Navi, smiling. "Come on, don't tell me you're having second thoughts now, not after I had Shadowman go through all the trouble to find the perfect place for us to spectate."

Forte rolled his eyes. "What's so great about surface Navi battles, anyways? Their caliber of battle can hardly be considered exciting."

"That's not the point!" The blue Navi pouted slightly. "Forte, we've been together for years, but didn't you realize we've never really been on a date before?"

"Dates are a human thing." Forte pointed out.

"They are. But that doesn't mean NetNavies can't do it as well." Rockman took Forte's hand. "This way! Let's go!"

* * *

"Welcome to Den City's first ever N1 Grand Prix tournament! I'll be your host and announcer, Kiro Midorikawa, bringing you the latest news within this tournament!" Kiro smiled as the crowd cheered. "Joining me as commentator is Higgory Yamitaro! Local Chip Shop owner and an enthusiastic Battle Chip trader!"

"He-he-he… H-hi…" Higgory appears to be suffering from stage fright.

"Higgory! Seeing as the first match of the N1 Grand Prix is about to start, do you have any advice to offer to the net battlers in this tournament?" Kiro asked.

"We- well…"

"Huh? What's wrong? Aren't you really passionate about Battle Chips?" Kiro prompted him.

"Battle… Battle Chips… Ah!" The mere mention of Battle Chips apparently was enough to get him all riled up. "That's right! Battle Chips are the most important part of any net battle! The stronger chips you have, the more damage you can do and the more enemies you can defeat! Battle Chips are everything in a net battle! Especially rare chips! Rare chips allow you to use strong attacks that are much more powerful than normal chips! They're pinnacle in winning any net battle!"

"Eh… haha…" Kiro laughed nervously, slightly startled by Higgory's sudden change in behavior. She quickly recovered, though. "A-anyways! The first match in the main battle dome is about to begin! Here come the contestants!"

The crowd cheered once more as the two net battlers stepped into the battle dome.

"This first match will be Gutsman against Greenman!" Kiro yelled as the two Navies plugged into the battle sphere. "Battle start!"

"Let's get him, Gutsman!" Dekao immediately went on the offensive.

"Guts!" Raising both hands, Gutsman formed them into a hammer. Then, he brought it down, creating a shockwave. "Gutshammer!"

Greenman never stood a chance. He was sent flying back the moment the shockwave collided with him, and was forced to log out moments later.

"Amazing!" Kiro yelled as she stood up from her seat. "Gutsman has forced his opponent to log out in just 30 seconds! What a great match to start off the N1 Grand Prix!"

Somewhere above the Battle Sphere, both the Black Shadow and the Blue Myth were peering down onto the battle below them. It was just high enough where no one would think to look up and see them, and they would get an excellent view of whatever was happening within the battle sphere below them. Rockman turned to Forte, grinning. "So? What do you think?"

The dark Navi was obviously unimpressed. "Are we seriously going to watch all of these matches?"

"Forte! Weren't you really into human sports at one time?" Rockman pouted. Despite himself, the blue Navi really wanted to try and get Forte interested in human sports once more. It couldn't be healthy for the other to just be constantly lurking around the Undernet. He knew all too well what that sort of isolation had done to Forte the last time around.

"..." Forte's lips twitched slightly, but he finally sighed, relenting. "...Don't humans also usually place bets when watching sports?"

"Ah…" Well, Rockman supposed Forte was right. "What are we betting?"

"Hn." Forte thought for a moment. "...For sport?"

Rockman smiled. "For sport it is, then! We'll make a bet on who we think the champion of the N1 Grand Prix will be!" Flipping through the Battle Index for the N1 Grand Prix, the blue Navi quickly found the Navi he was looking for. "I'll bet on him!"

Forte took one look at the Navi he'd chosen and snorted. "Seriously, Mega? Him?"

"Don't rule him out just yet, Forte!" Rockman insisted. "I've seen what Rockman X and his operator, Netto Hikari can do! They have a lot of potential, you can trust me on that."

The dark Navi rolled his eyes, but didn't question Rockman further. "...I'll need to look at the rest of the competitors before making a decision."

"Alright." Rockman nodded. That made sense. "Don't take too long though- I'll give you till the end of the first preliminaries to make a decision, okay?"

Forte nodded. Just then, another announcement sounded out.

"In-incredible!" Kiro Midorikawa was completely floored. "Just now, a new record has been set in one of the sub Battle Domes by Enzan Ijuuin and his NetNavi, Blues!"

That caught Rockman's attention immediately. Though, in hindsight, the blue Navi supposed he should have expected that Enzan and Blues would be entering the tournament as well.

"Here's a replay of the battle- a forced logout within 12 seconds! Amazing!" Kiro continued as the main screen started the play the footage of Enzan and Blues' battle.

' _He's still as quick as I remembered."_ Rockman thought to himself as he watched the footage; Besides from his strength, one of Blues' strongest and most prominent strengths had to be his speed; his opponent had been defeated before they could event realized what had happened.

"Him."

Rockman was snapped out of his thoughts. "What?" He asked as he turned towards the other Navi.

Forte met his gaze. "That Navi. He's going to win the tournament."

"Eh?!" The blue Navi was surprised. "Why?"

"His technique and skill." Forte explained. "It's nothing too impressive, but it's more than enough to win him the tournament, considering his competition."

"H-hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Rockman realized he was being a bit childish, but he couldn't just do nothing when Forte was throwing dirt on his operator! ...Well, sort of.

Forte shrugged. "Just calling it how I see it, Mega."

"Well… fine." Rockman crossed his arms dramatically. "But don't come crying to me when you lose your bet!"

"On the contrary." Forte grinned as he leaned in. "I wouldn't quite mind if you _came_ crying to me when you lose yours."

"...!" The blue Navi drew back, blushing furiously. "Don't- don't be lewd! This is serious, Forte!"

"I _am_ serious, Mega." The dark Navi teased him. "Whatever are you thinking about?"

Embarrassed and flustered, Rockman pushed Forte away, the other Navi just chuckling at his reaction. Damn it, Forte always seemed to keep on finding ways to get a reaction out of him.

"Mistress?"

Rockman snapped out of his daze. He turned to Shadowman. "What is it, Shadowman?"

The shadow Navi seemed concerned. "...There's something I must inform you of, my Mistress. It's about the WWW NetNavies."

The blue Navi tilted his head, confused and slightly worried. "What… What about them?"

"Their operators have been spotted among the crowd."

"!"

The blue Navi was alarmed upon hearing this. Forte didn't say anything, but Rockman could tell he was concerned as well. "What are they doing?"

"They don't seem to be doing anything at the moment…" Shadowman explained. "It would appear that they are entering the tournament as competitors as well, but I suspect they might have some… ulterior motives."

Rockman frowned. That made sense. He suspected that the WWW members were up to something as well, but he couldn't do anything about that just yet, not when he didn't even know what they were attempting to achieve.

"Keep a close eye on them, Shadowman." Rockman said. "If they try anything… Tell me immediately."

"Of course, my Mistress."


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Oh my fucking god I just realized that Az the Dragon also reads some of the cringey Megaman fanfics that I read as guilty pleasure sometimes. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Then again, maybe a bunch of people are looking at this fic and thinking that this is the cringiest thing they've ever read, so maybe I shouldn't have said that. Anyways, on with the story.

"Iceman! Watch out!"

The eskimo-like Navi leapt out of the way just in time to avoid a barrage of rockets that were sent his way. He turned back to face his opponent, Rocketman.

"Alright! Now's our chance!" Thoru smiled as he pulled out a battle chip. "Attack Battle Chip; Ice Bomb! Slot in!"

Several small bombs appeared before Iceman. He quickly grabbed them. "Ice Bomb!" The ice Navi cried as he threw them at his opponent. Rocketman, being a huge, bulky Navi, was unable to move out of the way when the Ice Bombs collided with him, the bombs freezing and encasing him in ice as they exploded.

"Rocketman is unable to battle! The winner of this match is Iceman!" Kiro announced with her usual enthusiasm.

Rockman dangled his legs idly off the side of the platform he was on as the crowd cheered, smiling slightly to himself. The tournament seemed to be going smoothly.

"That blue Navi you betted on is up next." Forte suddenly said besides him. He was flipping through the N1 Grand Prix Battle Index.

"Rockman X?" The blue Navi looked up. "Who's his opponent?"

"Some Navi by the name of Skullman."

Rockman paused slightly. That was unexpected. He had fought Skullman before, but he didn't expect his operator, Miss Miyuki to enter into the tournament as well.

"...What's wrong?" Forte seemed to have sensed his sudden concern. Rockman remembered when he had to go up against Skullman in his timeline. He had been allowed to use any spare Battle Chip data that he had on him, but no matter how hard he tried, he could never land a successful attack on the skull Navi. It was only later that he realized that it had been Skullman's operator, Miyuki Kuroi, that had been behind that.

Miss Miyuki was the owner of the local antique shop. However, the people who visited her shop rarely ever went there for the antiques; it was for her fortune telling skills. During his battle with Skullman, Miss Miyuki had been using her precognition to anticipate all of his attacks, allowing her Navi to foretell every single one of his moves before he himself was even aware of it.

It was fortunate that Netto-kun had found him trapped inside the vase computer when he did. He might not have survived otherwise.

"...It's nothing." Rockman said, looking to the side. In truth, he was slightly worried about Netto-kun and Rockman X having to go up against such a powerful opponent in their first match.

"..." Forte silently sat down next to him. "What is it? Are you conceding defeat before their match event started?"

"Of course not!" The blue Navi snapped back at him.

"Then stop acting all worried." The dark Navi smiled. "You're usually the one to tell me to have more faith in things."

"...!"

Rockman just stared at Forte for a moment, slightly shocked. He would never had expected Forte would be the one offering him encouragement this time around.

"...Thanks, Forte." He smiled as he regained himself. "...You're surprisingly sweet when you're not acting all terrifying like the Black Shadow."

"..." Forte huffed. "...Whatever."

* * *

"The next match of the N1 Grand Prix is about to begin!" The crowd cheered once more as Kiro continued. "This next match will be fifth grader Netto Hikari and his NetNavi Rockman X, against Miyuki Kuroi, owner of the local antique shop and her NetNavi, Skullman!"

Both Netto and Miyuki stepped onto the stage as the Battle Sphere activated. Netto was smiling brightly, as usual. "I hope we have a great Net Battle, Miss Miyuki!"

Miyuki regarded the Hikari carefully, but she didn't reply. Then, she closed her eyes for a brief moment before she spoke. "Five minutes."

"Huh?" Netto was visibly confused.

"This battle will end in five minutes." Miyuki continued as she opened her eyes, smiling mysteriously. "And the winner will be…"

"A-amazing!" Kiro cried out in shock from the announcer stand. "Apparently, Miyuki is using her fortune telling skills to foretell the outcome of this battle!"

"...!" Netto Hikari was stunned for a moment. But he quickly regained his composure. "Heh! I'm sorry to disappoint you, but your fortune telling is wrong! Me and X are going to win this battle!" He quickly took out his PET. "Let's go! Plug in, Rockman X, transmission!"

Miyuki sighed, and followed suit. "Plug in, Skullman, transmission."

Both Navies entered into the Battle Sphere at once. "Alright! Battle Start!" Kiro exclaimed.

Rockman X immediately went on the offensive. He formed his hand into a buster. "X Buster!"

"Kee hee hee!" Skullman easily dodged out of the way of the shots. "Is that all?"

"You might be able to avoid individual shots, but let's see you try and avoid this!" Netto Hikari quickly selected a Battle Chip. "Attack Battle Chip; Vulcan! Slot in!" Rockman X's arm shifted from his buster to the vulcan buster. Then, he fired multiple rapid shots at Skullman.

Skullman might not have been the fastest Navi, but as if he was able to predict X's attack, he avoided each of the shots expertly.

"N-no way!" Rockman X was shocked. "I can't hit him!"

Above the Battle Sphere, Rockman was quietly observing the entire thing.  _'So, Miss Miyuki is already using her fortune telling skills to predict X's attacks.'_

"My turn! Kee hee hee!" Skullman laughed as his forearms detached from his body. "Bone Stalker!"

The two detached limbs came to life in an instant, both acting as boomerangs as they flew towards Rockman X. The blue Navi was quick enough to dash out of the way of the first one, but the second one was able to hit him from behind on its way back, sending him flying. "Arrgh!"

"How-" Netto Hikari was visibly nervous now. "...If he can dodge out of buster shots, but he won't be able to get out of large explosions!" He took out several more chips. "Attack Battle Chip; Mini Bomb! Slot in!"

Rockman X threw the bombs at Skullman once he had received the Battle Chip data. "Take that!"

"Kee hee hee!" Skullman didn't appear worried. "Bone Stalker!"

The two boomerang bones flew back to him, colliding with the mini bombs, causing them to explode long before they could reach the skull Navi.

"Th-this can't be!" Rockman X was tartled.

"None of our attacks are connecting!" Netto had realized the problem as well.

"It's useless."

"Huh?" Netto Hikari snapped his head up. "What did you say?"

"I can tell what your Navi is about to do, long before he himself realizes it." Miyuki said calmly. "...Three minutes left."

"Ghost Fire!" Skullman yelled as he summon a large ball of purple fire. He flung the Ghost Fire at Rockman X, the blue Navi unable to react quickly in time and ended up being scorched by the fire. "Arrrgh!"

"This-" Netto Hikari clenched his fists. "No! This can't be! Is Miss Miyuki really reading our attacks so clearly?!"

"Kee hee hee…" Skullman was slowly approaching Rockman X. The blue Navi unable to do anything as he was badly damaged. "You're finished…"

"Netto-kun!"

"E-eh?" Netto snapped his head up. Someone was screaming his name from the audience.

"Don't just give up yet, you  _idiot!_ "

"Nii-san?!" Netto was surprised when he found the person who had been yelling.

"So what if Miss Miyuki can see the future?" Hub Hikari yelled down at him. "If it hasn't happened yet, you can still change it!"

"That's… that's right!" Rockman X seemed to resonate with Hub Hikari's words. "Miss Miyuki may be able to see the future… but we can still decide what our future will be, Netto-kun!"

"...!" Netto considered his words slightly, before he grinned. "That's right! We can still do this!" He took out several battle chips. "Get ready, Miss Miyuki!"

The fortune teller narrowed her eyes. "...One minute left."

"Let's do this, X! Attack Battle Chip; Mini Bomb! Slot in!"

"Mini Bomb!" Rockman X threw the bomb at Skullman.

"That won't work! Kee hee hee!" Skullman avoided each of the bombs sent his way.

"Heh, are you sure about that?" Netto asked as he continued to slot in more Mini Bomb chips into his PET. As Rockman X threw each of the bombs, the explosion caused created a cloud of dust, and soon, the area was completely filled with clouds of smoke.

"...Clever." Miyuki said. "Trying to obscure visibility… But that won't work on me."

"Kee hee hee...I don't have to see you to know where you are…" Skullman looked around the area briefly, before he raised his hand. "There you are!"

He moved to attack the spot where he had felt Rockman X approach him from, but instead of the blue Navi, his fist connected with a Mini Bomb, causing him to fly as as it exploded. Miyuki's eyes widened as she gasped. "Impossible…!"

"Now's our chance!" Netto Hikari selected his final Battle Chip. "Attack Battle Chip; Sword! Slot in!"

A flash of a blade cut through Skullman's form from behind. The Skull Navi screeched in pain as his body was cut through. Seeing this, Miyuki plugged her NetNavi out from the Battle Sphere, ending their match.

"Skullman has plugged out! The winners are Netto Hikari and his NetNavi, Rockman X!" The crowd went wild.

"..." The fortune teller was silent for a while. "...I don't believe it…"

"Huh?" Netto Hikari turned to her.

"...Your NetNavi…" Miyuki was more mumbling to herself at this point. "I can sense within it… a human's soul…" With that, the fortune teller left the stage.

"...Weird." Netto said. "I wonder what she meant by that…"

' _As I thought.'_  Rockman smiled to himself.  _'Both Rockman X and Rockman Zero share my ability to experience human emotions.'_


	24. Extra 1 (H)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm interrupting the story to bring you some porn, because the last sex we had was like four chapters ago, and I decide when there's too little or too much porn in my fic. This extra scene happens some time during the years when the twins were growing up.

Forte regarding the sleeping Navi carefully. His purple cloak was parted slightly, revealing the Navi's soft body and his nice thighs. And if Forte didn't know any better, he would have said that the blue Navi was breathing softly in his sleep.

Silently, he approached the Navi still deep in his sleep cycle. Forte usually didn't really cared much for using the sleep cycle station, but when the other Navi was presented to him in such a way… well, he supposed he could at least see some of the value of it. He tugged the other's cloak to the side, being careful not to wake the sleeping Navi. As he ran a hand down the blue Navi's thigh, he made a small sound in his sleep, but otherwise, didn't stir.

' _Beautiful.'_

Mega. Forte still wasn't sure how he felt about this Navi. So many things surrounding him, how he had appeared in SciLabs one day, how genuinely good he appeared to be, and how he had saved him from possible deletion, not once, but twice…

It was just too convenient.

"Hn-nn." Mega was making delightful little noises as Forte continued to touch and stroke his body, and Forte couldn't help the spark of desire growing within him, seeing his submissive just laying there, completely lax and unaware. He wanted to claim the blue Navi, now.

' _I wonder how his body tastes, when he's unaware like this.'_

In truth, Forte knew he should be more suspicious. There was just too much mystery surrounding Mega, some that he could tell the blue Navi had refrained from telling him, but…

Forte breathed in sharply when the Navi below him shivered as he pulled off the rest of his skinsuit. He glanced down briefly. He could feel himself growing hard, just seeing those soft petals slightly hidden in between the other's legs. He had to stop himself from just forcing his way in instantly. He didn't want to wake the other. Not yet.

Carefully, he reached in between the sleeping Navi's legs and parted his entrance with two fingers. Mega twitched slightly, but when Forte was sure that the blue Navi would not wake, he sunk his fingers deeper into the other, spreading and rubbing them along the other's soft insides. Mega, even in his sleep, appeared to have felt what the dark navi was doing to him, responding with a soft whine. Forte realized that Mega was most likely unaware of his own body's reactions at this time, but he still couldn't suppress the growl of approval at how the sleeping Navi was reacting.

Even if his mind was unaware at this moment, Mega's body seemed to know what it wanted. The dark Navi could feel the blue Navi's insides began to twitch and clutch around his digits, a thin layer of slick coating his fingers as he continued his ministrations. Forte would pause in his actions whenever he felt the blue Navi begin to stir, keeping him somewhere in between unconsciousness and full awareness as he prepared the other. Mega whined, his eyelids flickering slightly when Forte stimulated a particularly sensitive spot within him.

He was hooked. Forte knew he had grown addicted to the Navi below him, but he couldn't stop himself; he wouldn't have stopped himself, even if he could. He didn't want to.

Slowly, with patience he didn't know he had, he slid himself into the smaller Navi, hissing when the familiar warmth and tightness surrounded him. He felt Mega's breath hitched slightly when he was fully sheathed, giving a soft, gentle thrust forwards into the Navi below him, his body shivering with arousal that his mind wasn't even aware of yet.

It was a nice feeling he had grown to enjoy, but it wasn't enough. He wanted more.

Gently guiding the sleeping Navi's thighs around his waist, Forte made sure he had a tight grip on the other's hip before he pulled out slowly, then slammed back in with enough force to jolt the other Navi's entire form, and that-

That was enough to wake the blue Navi. His green eyes snapped open, and immediately, Forte could feel the  _alarm, panic_  and  _pleasure_  the other Navi was projecting. He snarled, gripping the other's hip tighter. This. This was what he was addicted to.

"F-Forte…!" Mega gasped out, with  _shock_  and  _confusion_  and  _arousal_. Forte felt the smaller Navi's walls clutch around him, shuddering and quivering more intensely than before now that he was fully conscious. "Wh- What are you…!"

"Shh. I've got you." Forte cut him off as thrusted into the other once more, Mega's body jerking as he gasped with _surprise_. "You just lay there and look pretty."

"N-nnh, n-no… D-don't…!" Mega writhed, struggling with  _shyness_ ,  _embarrassment_  and slight  _resistance_. But the dark Navi could also sense the  _want_  and  _anticipation_  inside of the blue Navi, just brewing beneath the surface.

Now, all he had to do was to draw them out.

Setting a steady pace, Forte began to thrust in and out of the Navi below him, making sure to gently nudge against the blue Navi's inner opening  _there_. Mega whimpered and whined with each of his inward pushes, the Navi's soft insides becoming wet with slick. The  _shyness_  and  _resistance_  Forte had felt from Mega slowly began to fade away, being replaced with  _want_  and  _desire_  and  _pleasure_  instead.

Now, for the fun part.

"Your body's really sensitive, Mega." Forte told the other Navi as he continued to roll his hips. "You seem to recognize me, even while you were asleep."

He got the reaction he wanted almost immediately. As Mega jerked and gasped, Forte could feel his  _disbelief_  and  _embarrassment_  flaring up as well. "Th-that's…! A-ah! Hn… n-not…!"

"You were so wet just from my fingers alone." Forte continued, making sure to thrust up into that one spot inside of the other. "You could tell that it was me, couldn't you?"

The blue Navi's blush deepen, as did his  _embarrassment_. But when Forte slammed back in again, the feeling wavered slightly, his  _pleasure_  threatening to overtake it. Mega shook his head, tears already forming from over stimulation. "N-no, a-ah…! Hnn...I-I'm not- Ah…!"

"Don't lie." Forte insisted, holding Mega in place when he attempted to shy away from him. "Your body is clutching me so tightly- It doesn't want me to stop. At least you're honest down there."

Mega whined and sobbed when Forte sped up his pace, the Navi below him shuddering in  _joy_  and  _delight_  every time the dark Navi slammed into him, but his  _embarrassment_  and  _resistance_  still lingered, the combination of  _No, Don't, Stop_  and  _Yes, Please, More_  that the blue Navi felt clashed terribly within him. It was intoxicating. This was what Forte wanted.

Finally, deciding that he was done teasing the other Navi, the dark Navi began to thrust into the other how he wanted, snapping his hips forward hard and fast, ramming into him with enough force to jolt his entire body forward had he not had such a tight grip on the smaller Navi. The effect was immediate, the feelings of  _alarm, no, panic, stop, anticipation, please, don't, more_  only encouraged the dark Navi further, until the Navi below him snapped and came with a loud cry, his entire body quivering and everything melted away into silent  _submission_.

Forte's own climax was not too far behind. With a snarl, he came inside of his submissive, feeling the blue Navi gasp and twitch slightly as he released himself deep within the other. Once it was over, the two Navies remained as they were, both panting as they recovered. Forte saw Mega looking at him, eyes teary and still slightly dazed, having been woken in such a way, but he was projecting feelings of  _happiness, content, satisfaction_ , and… something else. Something much purer and more intense than just  _joy_  or  _happiness_. And before he realized it, Forte was kissing Mega, bucking his hips into the other once again.

"For-Forte!" Mega was  _alarmed_. He still haven't completely recovered from their first connection yet. "Wai- Ahh, w-wait…"

"No." Forte growled as he started thrusting once more. "You're not getting five more minutes."

His mind told him this was worrying, that he shouldn't be so indulged in the other Navi, but Forte couldn't help it. He was completely and hopelessly addicted.

But this was one addiction he knew he never wanted to get over.


	25. Chapter 24 (Rematch: Colouredman)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I like when I'm just minding my own business outside and then the sky suddenly decides to rain. Also, I spent like 30 minutes debating with myself whether it was "Colouredmans" or "Colouredmen".

"I see." Forte said, suddenly.

Rockman looked at him, confused. "What?"

"Mega." Forte met his gaze. "Don't you see what those WWW operators are trying to do?"

Rockman paused. He honestly had no idea. "What is it?"

"Look." Forte held the Battle Index out. The blue Navi took it from his hands. "Tell me what you see."

"Well…" Rockman briefly glanced over the data. "Rockman Zero's next match is up against Colouredman, while Rockman X's next match is up against Fireman…"

"Hm. Do you think it's coincidence?"

Rockman frowned slightly at that. "...Even if it's intentional, what are they going to do?"

"..." Forte just stared at him for a moment, as if he was unable to tell whether he was joking, or he really had no idea on what was happening. "Mega, accidents happen in net battles all the time."

"...So?"

"Imagine if you were a member of a terrorist organization." Forte sighed. "You've determined several people that may prove to be a problem in your future plans, but you cannot get rid of them out in the open without alerting the Net Police and getting them involved in some way. Now, imagine that you discovered that these problematic people have entered a tournament, in which if an accident were to have happened and they are unable to plug their Navies out in time, they would be deleted and taken care of without anyone getting suspicious." The dark Navi paused slightly, as if giving Rockman some time to process this. "Do you see their intentions now?"

Oh.

_Oh no._

"But- but even so… Rockman X and Rockman Zero have defeated both Fireman and Colouredman before!" Rockman reasoned, slightly unnerved. "Besides… there's strict rules in the tournament that prevents net operators or their Navies from cheating during matches."

Forte looked at him incredulously. "Mega, please don't tell me you actually believe that members of a terrorist organization would give even an ounce of care for any rules during net battles."

"..."

Rockman resisted the urge to slap himself. Alright, that was honestly stupid of him to think. "Then… What can we do…?"

"Nothing." Forte said, plainly.

"But we can't allow them to just do as they please!" Rockman was panicking slightly now. Sensing his distress, the dark Navi took his hand.

"Calm down." Forte told him sternly. "You trust the twins to defeat those WWW Navies with their own strength, right?"

Rockman nodded. "I do, but…"

"Then that's enough." The dark navi squeezed his hand slightly. "You can interver when those WWW operators try anything, but doing so before that would just get you into trouble, understand?"

The blue Navi paused for a moment, before conceding. "Okay, you're right." Rockman said. "I'm sorry… I just got really worried for a moment there…"

"It's alright." Forte shrugged, then smiled. "But it wouldn't hurt for you to be more aware of these things."

Rockman blushed, looking away. "You can stop teasing me about that right about now."

* * *

 

"Our next battle pitches Madori Iroaya and her NetNavi, Colouredman, against Hub Hikari and his NetNavi, Rockman Zero!" Kiro announced as yet another net battle ended. Both contestants stepped onto the stage.

"..." Hub stared at Madori for a moment. "So you're Colouredman's operator."

Madori either wasn't fazed, or pretended not to realize what the elder Hikari was implying. "What's the matter, little boy? Don't tell me you're already charmed by my womanly charisma!"

"You-" Hub was taken aback. "Th-that's rubbish!"

"My, oh my." Madori sighed dramatically. "That's no way to a lady's heart! I guess I'll just have to teach you some manners, boy!" The WWW operator took out her PET.

"As if I'll lose to you!" Hub Hikari took out his PET, too. "Plug in-"

"Rockman Zero!"

"Colouredman!"

"Transmission!"

In two flashes of light, the two Navies entered into the Battle Sphere.

"Hee hee hee! I still have some unfinished business with you, red Navi!" Colouredman cackled as he faced Rockman Zero. "Prepared to be deleted! Ha!"

"Alright! Battle start!" Kiro announced.

"Go get him, minions!" Colouredman shouted, summoning mini versions of himself that launched themselves at Rockman Zero. Reacting accordingly, the red Navi formed his hand into a sword, slicing apart each of the tiny Colouredmans as they flew towards him.

"Nice try, but Zero and I aren't going down that easily!" Hub took out a battle chip. "Attack Battle Chip; Variant Sword! Slot in!"

Inside of the Battle Sphere, Rockman Zero held his arm up, the arm forming into a stunning gold and neon sword in an instant. "Variant Sword!" He swung the sword at Colouredman, the shape of the Variant Sword shifted and changed, producing a golden wave that aimed itself towards the clown Navi. Colouredman panicked. "Ah! Stop it, ball!"

Launching his giant ball at the incoming wave, the two forces collided with each other, creating a huge explosion sending dust and smoke everywhere. The crowd cheered wildly at the sight.

"Amazing! It seems that this is going to be one exciting match!" Kiro exclaimed. Then, she turned to Higgory. "Higgory! What do you think?"

"Well…" Higgory said in his usual tone. "It does appear that both Navies are equally matched… but now that Rockman Zero has gone on the offensive, it would be difficult for Colouredman to win unless he finds some way to turn the battle in his favor…"

The moment Higgory finished his sentence, Rockman Zero had lept out from the clouds of smoke, making a mad dash towards Colouredman. "Take this!"

The red Navi swung his sword. Colouredman had flinched back, avoiding the brunt of his attack, but Zero had managed to leave a mark on his chest and left shoulder. "Eek! You- you- you-!"

"Oh! How dare you!" Madori yelled, her cool composure crackling for a brief moment. "That's it! You're going to get it, boy!"

"What?" Hub Hikari was confused, but there was also a slight hint of nervousness in his voice.

"I'm going to show you just what happens when you mess with me!" Madori smiled wickedly. "You say goodbye to your Navi now!" She snapped her fingers. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the battle stage within the Battle Sphere began to shake and rumble.

"!" Rockman Zero was alarmed. "What's- what's happening?"

"Hee hee hee!" Colouredman laughed as he summoned another ball. "Prepare to face your doom!"

Thousands of glass pillars shot out from the ground, each of them having a clear reflective surface, acting as mirrors as each of the mirrors reflected the image projected by each other. Rockman Zero soon found himself surrounded by these pillars. He looked around nervously.

"Hee hee hee!"

The red Navi gasped, barely managing to jump out of the way as Colouredman's ball attack shot towards him. He quickly turned towards the direction in which the attack had came from, but instead of his target, he was instead met by a dozen images of Colouredman, the clown Navi's image being reflected by each of the glass pillars surrounding him.

"This is…!" Hub was just as alarmed.

"Which of them is the real one?" Zero was unsure where the real location of his opponent was. Then, he heard a rumbling sound coming from behind him. Turning around, this time, he hadn't been quick enough to avoid Colouredman's ball attack, and was sent flying into one of the glass pillars.

"Zero!" Hub screamed.

"Ha ha ha!" Madori laughed. "How do you like that, boy?"

"Hee hee hee!" Colouredman's voice echoed and bounced off of the glass pillars. "Delete~!"

Above the Battle Sphere, Rockman stood up abruptly. He had to stop this.

"Wait." Forte wrapped one arm around him, effectively stopping him from moving.

"Forte, he's in trouble!" The blue Navi yelled back at him.

The dark Navi didn't reply immediately, but he did point at Hub Hikari. "Look."

"...?" Rockman followed with his gaze. "What- What is it?" He didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

"That boy." Forte explained. "He's up to something."

"..."

Rockman watched with growing worry as Zero continued to avoid Colouredman's attacks, the clown Navi laughing hysterically at his opponent's inability to locate him. If this goes on… "Forte, let go."

The dark Navi ignored him. "Not yet."

"Forte!" Rockman hissed. "This is serious! If I don't do anything then Zero will…!"

"Zero, now!" Rockman was interrupted, the elder Hikari taking out a Battle Chip. "Attack Battle Chip; Z-Saber! Slot in!"

Zero's hand formed into a familiar green saber, and Rockman watched in shock and awe as Zero ducked out of the way of Colouredman's ball attack, dashing towards the direction in which the giant ball had come from, and slashed at one of the images of Colouredman that had been reflected onto the glass pillars-

Except that the red Navi had indeed struck the real form on the clown Navi. Colouredman screamed as he was cut in half. "No…! H-how did you…!"

Zero remained silent, only watching as the clown Navi was forced to plug out, the pillars and glass cracking and shattering moments later, returning the battle stage back to its original form.

"Colouredman has plugged out!" Kiro yelled from the announcer stand. "The winner of this match is Hub Hikari and his NetNavi, Rockman Zero! Incredible!"

"No, no, no, no, no!" Hub gave Madori a weird look. The WWW operator was screaming incoherently to herself. "This can't be, this can't be! I can't be losing to a brat…!"

Meanwhile, Rockman was stunned silent. He was confused as well. "How did he…?"

"He used their own tricks against them."

The blue Navi looked at Forte. "What do you mean?"

"Remember the mark Zero had made on Colouredman at the beginning of the match?"

Rockman thought for a moment. That's right. Hadn't Zero cut Colouredman across one of his shoulder before the clown Navi had summoned those pillars? But… "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Mirrors invert images when they reflect." Forte explained to him. "Apparently, the boy was bright enough to use the direction of his opponent's attack to narrow down the possible location of his attacker, then used the inverted images of the mirrors to determine which Colouredman was the real one."

"...!"

Rockman looked at the elder Hikari in awe. He had known Hub was the more mature and calm one of the two, but to be able to figure out a counter to Madori's trick so quickly…

"And Mega?"

Rockman was snapped out of his thoughts. "What?"

Forte grinned at him. "Maybe next time, your first course of action shouldn't be rushing out immediately without even properly assessing the situation, hm?"

The blue Navi's face turned bright red. "Forte!"


	26. Chapter 25 (Rematch: Fireman)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: In this fic up until this point, the word "Rockman" appeared about 730 times; "Forte" appeared about 650 times; and "Mega" appeared around 60 times. Some of those "Rockman"s are due to "Rockman X" and "Rockman Zero", though, so I think the number of times Rockman and Forte are mentioned are pretty equal. "Shadowman" also appears like 100 times, which sort of surprised me how much he was mentioned. In contrast, the word "said" only appeared about 110 times.

"Oh!" Rockman gasped as he suddenly remembered something. "How's Blues doing?"

"Who?" Forte asked.

Rockman looked at him. "The Navi you bet on that would win, Forte. I can't believe you betted on him and don't even remember his name."

Forte made an _'Oh, him.'_ expression. "I'm surprised you remembered."

The blue Navi began to flip through the N1 Grand Prix Battle Index, quickly locating the data on Blues. Rockman found that the red Navi had defeated all of his opponents thus far- this wasn't anything surprising. Enzan and Blues wouldn't have been Net Police Officers if they weren't good at net battling, but the records showing that Blues had won all his matches in under half a minute still shocked him.

The other Navi seemed to have guessed the red Navi's performance just by reading his emotions alone. "Worried yet?" Forte grinned.

Rockman looked back at him. "Of course not!" He huffed. "Just you wait! Netto-kun and Rockman X are going to win this!"

* * *

"Things are beginning to heat up in the Battle Dome!" Kiro smiled as another match finished. "The next match will be Netto Hikari and his NetNavi, Rockman X, against Hino Kenichi and his NetNavi, Fireman!"

"Netto-kun." Rockman X spoke out from his PET. "That's the Navi that set fire to Maylu-chan's oven."

"I remember." The younger Hikari said. "So that's his operator, huh?"

"We should be careful." His Navi told him. "Did you see what had happened during Hub and Zero's match with Colouredman and his operator? I'm afraid Fireman might be up to something, too."

"Don't worry about it!" Netto grinned. "We've beaten this guy before, right? It'll be no trouble beating him again!"

"Here come the contestants!" Kiro announced as both operators stepped onto the stage.

"So, you're that blue Navi's operator." Hino said as the two approached the Battle Sphere. "I won't lose this time; prepare to be deleted!"

"We'll see about that!" Netto took out his PET. "Plug in-"

"Rockman X!"

"Fireman!"

"Transmission!"

"You may have gotten away last time." Fireman told Rockman X as the two Navies entered into the Battle Sphere. "But you'll be a pile of ash when I'm through with you!"

"Alright! Battle Start!" Kiro exclaimed.

Fireman went on the offensive immediately. "Fire Blast!" pointing both his arm cannons at Rockman X, Fireman sent a barrage of fireballs his way. However, anticipating his attack, the blue Navi was able to dash out of the way of each of these shots.

"Now it's our turn!" Netto took out a Battle Chip. "Attack Battle Chip; Vulcan! Slot in!"

Rockman X's hand shifted into a Vulcan as he received the Battle Chip data. He aimed at Fireman. "Vulcan!"

As the multipla rapid shots flew towards him, Fireman was ready with a counter. He slammed one hand onto the ground. "Flame Tower!"

A pillar of fire bursted out from the battle stage, canceling out the vulcan shots at they collided with it, the Flame Tower quickly making its way towards Rockman X as it rumbled.

"Alright, then! How about this?" Netto Hikari selected another chip. "Attack Battle Chip; Mini Bomb! Slot in!"

Rockman X threw several Mini Bombs into the incoming Flame Tower, the bomb exploding, dissipating the pillar of fire from within.

"What a heated battle!" Kiro cried out from the announcer stand. "Both Navies are matching each other, shot for shot!"

"Flame sword!" One of Fireman's arm shifted into a blazing sword as he swung at Rockman X.

"Battle Chip; Barrier! Slot in!" A half-transparent barrier surrounded Rockman X in an instant, Fireman's Flame Sword breaking in half as it collided with the barrier.

"Now's our chance!" Netto Hikari pulled out yet another chip. "Attack Battle Chip; Canon! Slot in!"

Rockman X's arm formed into a canon. "Take this!" He yelled as he fired the shot directly at his opponent. The fire Navi was unable to avoid the blast in time as he was countered, the shot damaging one of his arm canons badly.

"And it seems Rockman X has gotten the upper hand in this battle!" Kiro announced. "Hino and his Navi Fireman are in quite a pinch!"

"That's it, mister! You're done for!" The younger Hikari grinned as he yelled at the WWW operator.

"..." Neither Navi nor operator appeared particularly concerned with this development. "Tch. I still have an Ace up my sleeve, kid."

"An Ace…?" Rockman X was both confused and worried. "What does that mean…?"

"Hmph." Fireman stood up tall as he recovered. "Prepare to be doused in my flames of vengeance!"

The loud sound of turning gears began to encho and churn throughout the entire area, the open ceiling of the Battle Dome was closing in on itself. The lights within the arena all went out at the same time, plunging the interior of the Battle Dome into darkness.

"Wh-what's this?" Kiro was alarmed. "Has the power been cut off…? Ah!"

The entirety of the spectating crowd was shocked when the Battle Sphere began to shine intensely, lighting up the entire Battle Dome with just its glow alone.

"This can't be normal!" Hub said from where he was among the spector stand. He had been watching Netto Hikari's match along with their group of friends.

"Yeah! There's no way the Battle Dome would just close up like this!" Yaito agreed with him.

"And it's gotten so hot, even from here…" Maylu added. She looked at Netto worriedly. She could only guess what the younger of the two Hikaris was feeling, standing so close to the Battle Sphere like he was.

"Damnit! How is that Kenichi guy looking completely fine?" Dekao asked.

"I'm not sure-" Thoru began, but he quickly noticed something. "Ah! Guys, look!"

Within the Battle Sphere, Fireman's form began to glow, his damaged arm cannon quickly repairing himself. Slamming it onto the ground, a wave of fire began to spread out from where he was standing, changing the entire battle stage into a fiery pit.

"Someone's feeding energy into the Battle Sphere!" Hub realized. "And Fireman is feeding off of that energy!"

Empowered by the suddenly influx of heat, Fireman slammed both his arm cannons into the ground, summoning two pillars of flame. "Double Flame Tower!"

It was obvious that the younger Hikari was already being affecting by the heat. Rockman X had barely managed to dash out of the way of the first pillar of flame when he finally managed to find the Battle Chip he wanted. "Area Steal, slot in…!"

That allowed the blue Navi to avoid the second Flame Tower just in time. "That was close…!"

"Y-yeah..." Netto had to shield his eyes from the intense light radiating from the Battle Sphere.

"Hmph, so you survived that attack." Fireman looked surprised. "But you won't be leaving this inferno alive! Fire Blast!" Raising both his hands, Fireman once again fired a barrage of fireballs at his opponent, this time, fueled by the sheer amount of energy he was receiving, the Fire Blasts came one after another. Rockman X could jump out of the way of the first several ones without much of a problem, but the fire Navi fired shot after shot at him, not giving any room for the blue Navi to recuperate, until the balls of fire finally landed their mark just by sheer overwhelming him.

"X…!" Netto realized his Navi was in danger, but he was fumbling. The heat was getting to him. "Just wait a moment more… I'll send you a Battle Chip…!"

Up at the spectator stand, the group of friends have noticed this as well. "They must be doing this by somehow hacking into the N1 Grand Prix systems." Hub reasoned. He turned to the others. "If we can find the problem and fix it, then we can return the Battle Dome back to normal!"

"What are we waiting for, then?" Dekao stood up. "Let's go! We have to help Netto!"

"I'm going, too!" Maylu offered.

"No, Maylu, you have to stay here in case something happens to Netto." Hub told her. "Don't worry, we'll find out what's happened and be right back!"

"Well… alright." Maylu nodded. "But please, hurry! I'm not sure what will happen to Netto-kun if this continues…"


	27. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Apparently, after the ending of the Rockman EXE manga where Rockman and Forte supposedly died after their battle with the Cybeast, the artist actually released a "special edition" that explains that the two of them were actually blasted into a different dimension, and detailed the two's experiences together. My suspicions of Mr. Takamisaki being a fushoji has been confirmed.
> 
> A/N2: I just fucking got the translation for it and apparently there's a part where Forte compares Rockman to a piece of juicy meat Forte what in the actual fuck.

"This should be the place!" Hub said not long after the group had left the spectator stand of the Battle Dome. "We should be able to reach the N1 Grand Prix system servers from here!"

"Alright, let's go, then!" Tohru nodded. The group took out their PETs simultaneously.

"Plug in-"

"Rockman Zero!"

"Gutsman!

"Glide!"

"Iceman!"

"Transmission!"

The four Navies plugged into the system in a flash. The realized the problem instantly.

"This- this place is crawling with viruses!" Iceman exclaimed. "This is terrible! Who could have done this?"

"My guess is on WWW." Glide said as he turned his hand into a canon. "In fact, I suspect Hub Hikari's previous battle to have been rigged by them as well." He began firing at the viruses.

"Guts!" Gutsman slammed his fist into a Bunny viruses. "Winning with tricks is so dirty! Guts!"

"I don't like it as well." Rockman Zero said as he slashed at one of the Fishy viruses that tried to run into him. "But it would seem that Hub and Netto have both been targeted by the WWW."

"Could it have been due to Hub and Netto-san's interference with their previous attacks?" Glide was quick to conclude.

"It's possible." Rockman Zero nodded. "Which is all the more reason why we shouldn't let them win!"

"Ahh!" The two were interrupted by Iceman's scream. "E-everyone! Those viruses are coming together…!"

The three other Navies turned to him and saw what was happening. The rest of the viruses had began to crowd together into a large cloud, forming into a single form. The huge virus made out of the thousands of smaller viruses roared at the four Navies, towering over them as it made its way closer to delete them.

"Glide Canon!" Glide shot several shots from his canon at the huge virus, but all of the shots bounced off of it without a scratch.

"Guts Hammer!" Gutsman decided to attack the virus as well. He formed both of his hands into a hammer, and slammed it down onto the ground. The resulting shockwave sped towards the huge form of the virus, but the attack was once again useless on it. Then, the virus raised it's hand to attack them.

"Watch out!" Iceman shouted. He turned to the virus. "Blizzard!"

A gust of icy wind blew against the virus, freezing its arm for a moment. But with a shake, it shattered the ice coating its arm in an instant, roaring once more in anger.

"It no use! Our attacks aren't damaging it!" Rockman Zero quickly realized.

"Gwaaaar!" The viruses screeched. Raising its hand high once more, it brought it down, preparing to slam its claws into the four Navies. Iceman screamed and ducked his head, while the other three watched in horror and braced for impact.

Then, a string of light flashed across the form of the virus. The virus paused for a moment, as if it was unsure of what had happened, before his entire form was split into two halves. The virus screeched as its data began to dissipate, before it disappeared entirely.

"That- that was…" Rockman Zero stared in shock. He could briefly make out the form of another Navi in the wake of the virus's deletion.

"Who're you?!" Iceman appeared to have noticed the strange Navi as well.

"..." The strange new comer didn't say anything as he sheathed his sword, narrowing his eyes as he regarded the group of Navies carefully. "Your friend is safe. The systems have been returned to normal." Then, the Navi disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Wait!" Rockman Zero yelled after him, but it was too late. "Damn… He's gone…"

At that exact moment, the red Navi received a video transmission from Maylu. "Hub-san, there's a video message from Maylu-chan."

"Alright." Hub turned on the video transmission. "I hope nothing bad has happened…"

"Hub! You guys have cleared out the viruses, haven't you?" Maylu asked once the call got through.

"Yeah. The systems are back to normal now." The Hikari nodded.

"I saw it! The Battle Dome is also back to normal now, but…" Maylu appeared frantic. "Netto had passed out from the heat several moments ago, and he still hasn't woken up yet!"

"What?" There was a collective gasp within the group of friends.

"Damn! Hold on, Maylu, we're coming back now." Hub Hikari cut the connection to the video feed before turning to the rest of the group. "Let's go!"

The younger Hikari was still lying on the floor unconscious when the group got there. Hub Hikari went as close to the stage as he could from the spectator stand. "Netto-kun!" He began yelling at his younger sibling. "Wake up!"

As if hearing his voice, the younger Hikari twitched slightly, but was still not fully conscious yet.

Hub frowned. Alright, this was serious now. "Netto-kun- Wake up, you idiot! You're going to be late for school!"

_That_  got the younger Hikari's attention. Gasping, he sat up in an instant, before he realized what has happening. "Ah! Nii-san…?"

Hub grinned at his twin as Netto looked up at him from the stage, their gaze meeting. "We've cleared out the viruses that were inside the Battle Dome system!" Hub told him. "Now hurry and win this match! Rockman X needs you!"

Realization quickly registered inside of Netto's head. "Th-that's right!" He grabbed his PET from where it had fallen quickly and stood up. "This isn't over, yet!"

"What?!" His opponent obviously wasn't expecting him to get back up. "Tch! Fireman! Delete that kid's Navi- Now!"

Knowing that they've lost their advantage, Fireman acted quickly before Rockman X could recover from the damage he had taken when his operator had been unconscious. He slammed both his hands into the ground once more. "Double Flame Tower!"

Two pillars of flame bursted out from the ground instantly, reacting a path of ash and derib in its way. "You're finished!" Fireman yelled as the twin flames sped towards his opponent.

"Don't be so sure about that!' Netto didn't appear fazed. "Me and X have an Ace that we've been hiding up our sleeves, too!"

"What nonsense is this!" The WWW operator wasn't having any of it. "We'll burn your Navi to a crisp!"

"Alright, X! Let's go!" Netto took out a Battle Chip. "Attack Battle Chip; Step Sword! Slot in!"

The moment Rockman X received the Battle Chip data, he disappeared from view entirely, the two pillars of flame creating an explosion as they collided with each other, but otherwise missing its intended target completely.

"No- no way!" Fireman was alarmed. He attempted to prepare for another attack, but Rockman X had appeared in front of him before he could react.

"Step Sword!" In a flash, Rockman X slashed the fire Navi in half. Fireman screamed and was forced to log out, thus ending their battle.

"Amazing! Netto Hikari and his Net Navi, Rockman X, have pulled out an amazing recovery and won the battle!" Kiro exclaimed. The crowd cheered once more at such the unexpected outcome of this match.

* * *

"Nii-san!" Netto Hikari found his elder sibling soon enough after he had left the stage.

"Netto-kun!" Hub Hikari smiled. "I'm glad you're alright."

"It was thanks to you guys." Netto smiled back. "Thank you."

The two were silent for a moment. "Netto-kun." Hub said, suddenly. "Remember that anonymous message you received that helped us out at the Waterworks?"

The younger Hikari tilted his head. "I remember. What about that?"

Hub frowned. "Because… I think I know who he was."

"What?" Netto was visibly shocked.

"At least, I think I know who he was." Hub elaborated. "...When we were clearly out the viruses in the Battle Dome systems, some Navi that looked like a ninja appeared out of nowhere and helped us. I think he, or whoever his operator is, might have been the person behind that message as well."

"Okay." Netto shrugged. "But why do you look so worried about that?"

"Netto… We don't know anything about who that Navi or his operator is. We don't know what their intentions are." Hub sighed.

"Well, they're helping us, aren't they? Which means they're against the WWW" Netto reasoned. "And that's okay with me!"

"..." Hub didn't have any rebuttal for that. "Well… I hope you're right. I still can't help but worry about that, though…"

* * *

"Shadowman, you're back!" Rockman smiled as he saw the shadow Navi return.

The shadow Navi bowed. "I have did as you asked, my Mistress."

"I saw! Thanks, Shadowman!" Rockman said. "...I was a bit worried something might have happened to you, you know. You were gone for quite a while..." The blue Navi quickly brushed it off. "Ah, but I guess I'm just getting all worried about nothing."

When Shadowman didn't reply, Rockman continued. "Oh! I just remembered- There's something else I need you to do for me, Shadowman."

"What is it, my Mistress?"

"I need you to…" Rockman whispered the rest of it to the shadow Navi. Shadowman only nodded once he had finished.

"Of course, Mistress." Shadowman said. "I shall do as you ask."

Rockman grinned. "Thankyou, Shadowman. You've really helped me out a lot." With that, he turned to leave the area, but not before saying one last thing to the shadow Navi. "Oh, I think that's all the matches finished for the first day of the N1 Grand Prix. I'm heading back to the Undernet now. You should get some rest too, alright?"

"..." Shadowman could only nod as the blue Navi logged out from the area, mulling over what his Mistress had said.

' _He was worried about something happening to me…?'_

The shadow Navi sighed, unknowingly gaining some newfound admiration for the blue Navi.


	28. Chapter 27 (H)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Yes, the story's taking a break again. Sorry guys I really want them to fuck.
> 
> A/N2: Totally forgot that I had a Linguistics test that I needed to study for. Oops.

"How was the N1 Grand Prix, Forte?" Rockman asked once the two returned back to the Undernet.

"..." The other Navi appeared uncertain of what to say. "It's okay." He paused, then added, as if an afterthought. "Not that I was expecting much."

"If you liked it, then just say so." Rockman pouted. "This is the first time that such a large-scale tournament's been held, but I know there's some mini tournaments we could go to if you wanted to spectate."

"I don't." The dark Navi insisted. "Their caliber of battle is hardly something to look at."

"Hmph. Alright then." Rockman mock-sighed. The blue Navi could tell that the other had at least enjoyed their time together, even if he wasn't all that particularly interested in the tournament itself. "I guess I'm going back tomorrow on my own, then. What a shame."

That got the other Navi's attention. The moment he wanted to make his way past the other, Forte intercepted him, stopping him with an arm around his waist. "No, you're not."

Rockman smiled. "Does that mean you're going with me now?"

Forte looked at him for a moment. "...Is this what Submissives do now?"

"...?" The blue Navi was confused. "Do what?"

"Stare at other NetNavies in front of their Dominants."

"...!" Pushing Forte back, the blue Navi took a step back. "That's- Whatever you're talking about, that's not it!" He blushed, half with embarrassment at what Forte was suggesting, and the other half in annoyance that he would even suggest that to begin with.

"Isn't it?" Unrelenting, the dark Navi took a step forward as he drew back. "You were so engrossed in them, that you didn't once look away. I had to see the whole thing."

"That's what people do at tournaments!" Rockman's face was entirely red as he yelled. He knew Forte was succeeding in getting a reaction out of him, but he still couldn't believe the other was actually accusing him of… of… lusting after other NetNavies.

Forte grabbed both of his wrists before Rockman could take another step back. The smaller Navi ended up being pulled against Forte's chest.

"Perhaps I should remind you who's submissive you are." Forte breathed against his ear.

"..."

Rockman shivered, lips twitching. He couldn't speak, gasping when Forte leaned down and bit down on his throat. The Navi himself was slightly worried about the other was going to do to him, but the Submissive inside of him was purring in delight. It couldn't wait.

The blue Navi struggled out of shyness and instinct when the larger Navi forced him onto the ground, tearing any clothing he had to shreds. He attempted to get back up, to turn around when Forte pushed him face-forward to the ground, but the dark Navi placed a hand on the back of his neck. "Stay."

He stilled immediately, without questioning it. It took him several moments to realized what had happened, and he attempted to look back and see what Forte was doing when he felt the other kick his legs open. "For- Forte…?"

"Hm." Rockman jerked, letting out a surprised gasp when he felt Forte's length push up against him, parting his slit slightly. "Is this how you present yourself whenever a Dominant appears before you?"

The smaller Navi's body tensed up instantly. He shook his head in embarrassment. "No! that's not- Annhh…!"

He was cut off by his own cry when Forte sheathed himself fully within him, whimpering as the larger Navi grabbed his hips and held him still when he attempted to get away. Rockman allowed his forehead to press against the ground as his body thobbed in want and pleasure at being forced open by his Dominant.

Forte bucked his hips, forcing out a sharp cry from the Navi below him as his insides were forced open even more. "I feel your insides twitching around me." Forte said as the smaller Navi shivered. "...Is this what happens every time you see a Dominant?"

That got a reaction out of Rockman immediately, his body jerking as he began to protest. "N-no! That's not- Hnn!" Forte had forced himself into the smaller Navi once more, effectively cutting off what he was going to say.

"Shit… You're so wet down there already." The dark Navi continued, edging him on. "I'm surprised I didn't see you leaking when you were watching all those other Navies."

" _Forte!_ " Rockman was frantic now. Even the Submissive part of him was rejecting what the other Navi was accusing him of. Eyes wide, he looked back at the Navi above him and hissed. "That's  _not_  true!"

"..." Forte regarded the smaller Navi carefully, his face red and eyes teary, but still somehow maintaining that resolve of his. Sighing, he relented. "...I know."

Rockman sniffed, somewhat angry but mostly annoyed and frustrated at the other. "Then why would you say that?"

"..." Forte remained strangely silent, avoiding eye contact. The blue Navi looked at him curiously before a thought appeared in his mind.

"Forte, were you…" Rockman swallowed. "...were you jealous…?"

The dark Navi's gaze snapped back towards him. "No." He said, a bit too quickly.

"..."

The blue Navi's silence only seemed to unnerve him future. "I'm not!" He insisted.

Finally, Rockman couldn't help the short laugh that escaped him. He smiled softly at Forte's glare.

"S-sorry." the blue Navi grinned. "It's, it's just nice. To be wanted that way."

"...Hmph." Forte looked to the side. "...You only feel this way towards me?" It was more of a question than a statement.

Rockman nodded. "Only you."

Forte's gaze softened at that. He leaned down closer to the smaller Navi, Rockman twitching slightly when the action caused him to be further impaled on Forte's length.

"...I'll claim you as my own now." The larger Navi told him.

The blue Navi's breath hitched at that. "W-wait! Not… not like this…" He much preferred to be facing the other. It was more comforting that way.

Forte quickly understood what he meant and helped him turn around, the smaller Navi shivering when the other was still inside of him when doing so. Forte took hold of his waist once more when he was settled and kissed him. Rockman reciprocated his kiss, body shaking in anticipation as he slightly bucked his hips against the larger Navi.

That was all the confirmation Forte needed. Withdrawing until just the tip remained, he slammed back into the smaller Navi hard and fast, successfully drawing out several sharp cries and whines from the Navi below him. Rockman jerked slightly, his entire body now throbbing and clutching with delight and pleasure. The Submissive part of him was screaming in joy as it finally got what it wanted.

It didn't take Forte long to drag a climax out of the blue Navi; he was extremely familiar with Rockman's body at this point, and knew exactly what to do to get the reaction that he wanted. The blue Navi's body giving a harsh shudder as he came, a trail of slick being drawn out from in between his legs when Forte didn't relent in his pace.

"I'm going to pour myself deep inside of you." The dark Navi said as his movements became more jerky. He hissed when he felt the blue Navi clutching around him tighter. "Would you like that?"

The smaller Navi keened, unable to speak, but his pupils were blown wide with want. Rockman gasped as a familiar warmth flooded him. He held onto the Navi above him tightly and shivered, whimpering incoherently as he waited for the feeling to pass.

"Mega." Forte murmured after a while, kissing him over and over. Rockman whined briefly and turned his head to the side, glaring slightly at the other Navi.

"...Was it not good?" Forte asked him.

"Th-that's not it!" Rockman was flustered. "I, I liked it. It was just…" He sighed as he attempted to get his point across. "Just… just don't accuse me of doing things like that again. You know I'd never do that."

"I know." At least Forte had the gall to sound ashamed. "...I'm sorry."

Rockman made a small sound when Forte moved. "Good. Now get out-" He trailed off when Forte reached down with one hand, cupping his rear end and brushed against-

"...Hm." Forte appeared thoughtful. "I don't believe I've claimed you there yet."

"?!"

Alarmed, Rockman attempted to struggle out from under the larger Navi, but Forte already had him where he wanted him; there was no way he could fend off the other Navi when it came to physical strength.

"F-Forte! Don't…!"

"Not- Hnn! N-not there…!"

"A-ah! Hnn…"


	29. Chapter 28 (Enzan and Blues)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Been thinking about side pairings for the story. I have two Navies that I can go for with Shadowman, but whichever one I end up choosing, it's not going to be happening for a long ass time anyways, so I guess I'll just get to that when I get to that point in the story.

Rockman wasn't quite sure what he had been expecting, but he supposed Shadowman coming back with a Normal Navi- the shadow Navi had bound and gagged him, too- was the closest thing he could get. He heard the Navi's muffled screams as Shadowman set him down- Poor guy. He was obviously terrified.

"It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you." Rockman told the Normal Navi as he moved to take off the gag. "I'm just going to take this off, alright?"

"Please! I don't know anything! I'm just a Normal Navi- I swear!" The Navi cried once he was able to.

"He was watching Blues' and Rockman X's battle from afar, like you suspected he would, my Mistress." Shadowman interrupted him. The Navi visibly paled at that.

"I- I didn't have a choice!" The Normal Navi panicked. "Please- you have to believe me!"

That much was true. Rockman knew who this Navi was. He had met him before in his previous timeline.

The Normal Navi had been abandoned by his operator and ended up being recruited by WWW. Though unwilling, he had nowhere else to go, and had gone to observe his and Blues' net battle on their orders. The Navi had ended up being discovered by Blues in the middle of their fight and explained the entire thing out of pressure from the Net Police Officer, but once Blues had known about his affiliation with WWW, there was no stopping the red Navi from deleting the Normal Navi and taking his memory data for analysis.

"Please calm down." The blue Navi told him, trying to show the Navi he meant no harm as much as he could. "You were watching that Net Police Officer Blues' and that NetNavi Rockman X's netbattle, right?"

"No! I didn't-  _OUCH!_ " Shadowman had stepped on his foot. "Ow-  _OW!_  Okay, okay- I was!"

Rockman frowned at the shadow Navi- he really didn't approve of using violence to get answers out of other people.

"It's alright. I just want to know what happened." The blue Navi told him.

"But- But- But I don't really know that much!" The Normal Navi stammered.

"Just tell me what you saw." Rockman smiled.

"I…" The Navi paused, hesitating for a bit, but he flinched when he saw Shadowman grab the hilt of his sword. "Okay, okay, okay! I'll talk- I'll talk!"

* * *

"Hey, isn't that Enzan Ijuuin?" Hub Hikari said. The twins were walking home just after the end of the first day of the N1 Grand Prix when the elder Hikari noticed the other net battler across the street.

Netto Hikari looked where his sibling was looking at. "Who?"

"The person who set the twelve second record in one of the first matches of the tournament, Netto. Don't you remember?" Hub told him.

"Ah! I remember now!" The younger Hikari then turned to the other boy across the street. "Hey, Enzan!" The elder boy ignored him as he kept walking, but that did little to deter Netto.

"That was a great battle you had back there!" Netto continued yelling at him. "But you better watch out when we get paired against each other- I'm not going to lose to you!"

"Netto-kun, come on." Seeing that Enzan didn't appear to want to pay them any mind, Hub tried to get his younger sibling to stop.

"..." The white haired boy stayed silent for a while longer, before he spoke, just loud enough for the two other boys on the other side of the road to hear him. "You're so noisy."

The effect was immediate. "Hey!" Netto yelled back at him. "That's not nice!"

Enzan finally looked back, meeting the two Hikaris. "...I don't need a second-rate net battler telling me what to do."

"Wh- Hey! Take that back!" Netto Hikari attempted to run across the street to get to the other boy, but his elder sibling grabbed his arm, stopping him. "Netto! There's traffic here!"

"But Nii-san! Did you hear what he just said?"

"That's the point! He's trying to edge you on!"

"...!" It took the younger Hikari a second to fully process this.

"Hm." Seeing this, Enzan narrowed his eyes at the two. "...Seriously, how do you expect to win any net battle with that attitude of yours?" He turned back to the road before him. "You should just withdraw before you embarrass yourself…"

"What did you just say?!" Whatever his elder sibling had told him was long forgotten. "Why don't you stop and battle with me right now? I'm not afraid to beat your ass right here!" Netto continued yelling at the other boy as they walked. "Are you walking away because you're afraid me and my NetNavi will beat you, coward?"

That made the elder boy stop in his tracks. Netto smiled to himself. "So? Have you finally decided not to run?"

"...You're persistent, I'll give you that…" Enzan said, more to himself than anything. He turned back around, taking his PET out. "...Fine. Plug into the traffics system and I'll show you just how weak you are."

"You…!" Netto was fuming now. "We'll see about that!" He took out his own PET. "Come on, X! Let's get this guy! Plug in, Rockman X, transmission!" He plugged X into one of the terminals on the side of the street.

"Plug in, Blues, transmission!" Enzan did the same on the opposite side of the road.

In a flash of blue light, Rockman X entered into the traffics system. "Whoa, there's a lot of pathways in here…" The blue Navi commented once he entered into the system. "But, where's…?"

He was interrupted when a gust of whirlwind began to sped towards him, slicing and sweeping up pieces of data apart as it approached. Alarmed, Rockman X jumped down onto a lower platform, only just managing to duck out of the way of the swirl of blades. "That was…!"

The whirlwind broke apart shortly after, revealing a red Navi with long, white hair. "...Hmph."

"That guy is Blues?" Netto Hikari was stunned by the Navi's display of speed and power.

"He's fast…!" Rockman X nearly didn't see him approaching.

"If you're afraid, you can still plug out now." Enzan spoke out at to him.

"That's- That's not happening! Me and X aren't going to run away that easily!" Netto yelled back at him. Rockman X, though nervous, nodded, agreeing with his operator.

"Is that so?" Blues observed his opponent. "Then I suppose there's no reason for me to hold back anymore." In a flash, he disappeared once more, a sudden gust of wind blowing through the entire area.

"...! He's so quick, I can't see him!" Rockman X quickly realized that the gust was caused by how quickly the red Navi was moving. He formed his arm into a buster, attempting to take a shot at the red Navi, but he was attacked from behind and knocked even lower down the platforms before he could even realize what was happening.

"Is this how he managed to defeat all his opponents that quickly?" Netto Hikari realized.

"Blues can reach up to Mach five in speed." Enzan unhelpfully told him. "In other words… You're extremely outmatched."

"E-even if that's the case…!" Rockman X stood up, attempting to aim his buster again. "I won't- Arghhh!" This time, Blues' blade had sliced him from the side. Another well-aimed kick sent him flying into a wall.

"This…!" Netto was stunned. "...Can NetNavies really become this powerful?"

"So?" Enzan looked at the younger Hikari. "Do you give up yet?"

"..." Netto Hikari was strangely silent for a while. "...You're right. There's no way me and X can match up to you and Blues in speed, but…" He looked back up, grinning. "That doesn't mean we can't still beat you!"

The elder boy's eyes widened briefly in shock at his reply, before he grit his teeth. "...Blues, delete that Navi."

"Yes, Enzan-sama." The red Navi disappeared into a gust of wind once again, a whirlwind of slashes forming in his wake as he sped towards Rockman X.

"Netto, what are you doing?!" Hub Hikari grabbed his younger sibling by his shoulders. "Plug X out now or he'll be deleted!"

"..." Netto was smiling. "Are you ready, X?"

Rockman X smiled back. "I'm ready."

The blue Navi stood still as the fury of blades swept closer and closer towards him, as if taunting the other to take a stab at him. Finally, when Blues was close enough, he thrusted his sword forward, preparing to land the fatal blow onto the blue Navi-

Rockman X reacted. As Blues stabbed him with his sword, he quickly reached out and grabbed the other's wrist with his own hand, effectively stopping the red Navi from moving.

"!" Blues was alarmed. "What?!"

"Now's our chance!" Netto took out a Battle Chip. "Attack Battle Chip; Giga Cannon! Slot in!"

Keeping Blues in place with his grip, Rockman X's other hand formed into a canon. "Giga Cannon!" Aiming it at the Navi before him, he fired it, point blank at Blues, the shot exploding on impact.

"Alright!" Netto grinned.

"We did it!" Rockman X smiled as well. Then, the Navi noticed something was wrong. "Wh-"

In an instant, a sword pierced his chest from behind.

"...A commendable attempt." The red Navi commented. "But all you managed to hit was just the fading image of myself." He pushed Rockman X off of his sword after that, the blue Navi collapsing to the ground, unable to battle anymore after that.

"No… no way!" Netto Hikari just stared at the scene before him.

"...Plug out, Blues." Enzan said. His NetNavi returned to his PET a moment later. "...Now you understand the difference in our strength. I won't hesitate to delete that Navi of yours next time." With that, he walked away.

"..." Hub Hikari looked at his younger sibling worriedly, the younger of the two was obviously devastated after that defeat. "Netto-kun?"

"..."

"That Enzan isn't as tough as he makes himself out to be, Netto-kun." Hub Hikari continued when the younger of the two didn't reply. "You did manage to damage Blues, you know."

"Huh?" That got Netto's attention. "I had…?"

"I saw it." Hub smiled encouragingly. "...Blues didn't show it, but you did manage to hit him. There was a bit of damaged data on his left arm, Netto."

"...!" Netto was silent for a brief moment, before he grinned. "That's… That's right!" He appeared to have regained his confident. "Even Blues isn't undefeatable! We'll get him, next time!"

* * *

Rockman was deep in thought once the Normal Navi had finished his story. He wasn't surprised by the outcome of their battle- after all, the same thing had pretty much happened to him, but it had definitely ended on a much more positive note.

"That's all I know! I swear!" The Normal Navi cried. "Please! I won't tell anyone! I don't want to be deleted!"

The blue Navi was snapped out of his thoughts. Turning to the Normal Navi, he spoke. "I said I wouldn't hurt you, remember?" Then, he smiled. "...What if I told you I can help you leave WWW?"

"Th-that's…" The Navi was stunned. "You… You can do that?"

Rockman nodded. "Of course."

"But, but…" The Normal Navi hesitated. "What if they come find me? They'll delete me for sure!"

"Don't worry about that." Rockman grew serious at that. "Sooner or later, there wouldn't be any WWW anymore." He promised himself that he wouldn't allow WWW, or any organization for that matter, to hurt anyone ever again.

"..." The Normal Navi considered his words for a while, before nodding. "O-okay. I, I never wanted to be in WWW in the first place, anyways…!"

"That's great." Rockman's smile returned. "Now, all you have to do is return to the surface net and…" The Normal Navi appeared a bit uncertain at first, but once Rockman had finished, he only stared at him in awe. "R-really? I, I can do that…?"

"Of course you can." Rockman reassured him. "Shadowman will take you back to the surface net, and you can continue on with your life after that."

"O-okay…" The Normal Navi nodded. "But… what about WWW…?"

"I'll take care of them." Rockman said, his look determined. "...I won't allow them to continue with what they're doing for long."


	30. Chapter 29 (N1 Grand Prix part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I don't know how to write Count Jack. In the Japanese version and the Chinese versions of the anime, he tries to act like an American, but since this is written in English, should I make him act like he's Japanese or Chinese? I'm so confused?

"Aqua Tower!"

"Ice Bomb!"

As the Ice Bombs collided with the pillar of water, they exploded, freezing the Aqua Tower instantly, the attacks effectively canceling each other out. Roll and Iceman looked at each other, both panting from exhaustion.

"And it seems this match will be a close one as well!" Kiro exclaimed. "Amazing! The battles are getting more and more interesting as we draw nearer to the end of the final preliminaries!"

"I'm sorry, Tohru-kun! But Roll and I are going to give it our all in this battle!" Maylu told the boy at the other side of the Battle Sphere.

Tohru smiled back. "I wouldn't have it any other way- Me and Iceman aren't going to go easy on you, either!" Then, he nodded to his NetNavi. "Iceman! Let's finish this!"

Taking a deep breath, Iceman steadied himself as he prepared for his final attack. "Blizzard!"

"Let's go, Roll!" Maylu smiled, taking out a Battle Chip. "Attack Battle Chip; Cyclone! Slot in!"

As the gust of icy wind blew towards the pink Navi, she activated the Battle Chip data her operator had sent her, a Cyclone forming in her hands. As the two attacks clashed against each other, Iceman's Blizzard attack was sent ricocheting back to him, freezing the Navi in one fell swoop.

"Iceman is unable to battle!" Kiro announced as the match ended. "The winners of this match are Maylu Sakurai and her NetNavi, Roll!"

"Alright, Maylu! That was amazing!" Netto yelled from the spectator stand.

"Yeah. That was a great match. I really thought Tohru-kun had it, though." Hub smiled a bit sheepishly.

"We now come to the final match of the final preliminaries!" Kiro continued as both Maylu and Tohru left the stage. "Our final match will be Enzan Ijuuin and his NetNavi Blues, against Count Jack and his NetNavi, Elecman!"

"Elecman?" The name sounded familiar to Netto.

"Isn't he that NetNavi we fought on the train?" Hub remembered, too.

"Hey, you're right…" The younger Hikari frowned. "First Colouredman, then Fireman and now Elecman…"

"It would seem Enzan and Blues have also been targeted by WWW." Hub agreed with his sentiment.

"Damn it." Netto turned to his elder sibling. "Do you think they'll be alright?"

"Hm." Hub strangely smiled, shaking his head. "I wouldn't worry about them too much."

"Ha, you're done for, kid! Prepare to be deleted!" Count Jack yelled as he plugged in his Navi. Enzan didn't reply, only looking at his opponent silently as he plugged Blues into the Battle Sphere.

"Prepare to be electrocuted!" Elecman echoed his operator's statement once Blues logged onto the battle area.

"Battle Start!"

"Electric Blast!" Elecman went on the offensive immediately, shooting out several electric balls at his opponent, but Blues dodged out of the way of each of them effortlessly. "You're slow." He told the other Navi, as he formed his hand into a sword. Dashing towards the electric Navi, he took a swing. Elecman only barely managing to avoid the fatal blow.

Count Jack whistled. "Heh! That Navi of yours is pretty good, kid!" He laughed. "But he wouldn't be much use if you can't operate him!"

"...?" Enzan regarded his opponent carefully.

"It's show time~" The electric Navi's operator said as he raised his hand. An electric field crackled to life instantly, surrounding the entire Battle Dome, cutting off the audio and video feed from Blues to his operator's PET.

"Gah ha ha! What's the matter? Can't see a thing?" Count Jack taunted him. "That's too bad! I can see everything as clear as day over here!"

"You may be strong, but without your operator, even you can't defeat me!" Elecman told Blues within the Battle Sphere.

"...I see." Enzan said quietly. "So that's how you intend to win…"

"Oh? What's the matter? Afraid, kid?" His opponent grinned.

"Tricks like that won't work on me." The boy merely said as he took out three Battle Chips. "Blues! Programme Advance!"

Inside the Battle Sphere, Blues appeared to have heard his operator. He raised his hands as he prepared to receive the Battle Chip data from his operator. "Programme Advance!"

"Wh-what?" Elecman was stunned. "That's impossible- You shouldn't be able to reach your operator!"

Both the red Navi and his operator ignored him. "Attack Battle Chip; Sword! Slot in!" Blues' hand formed into a sword.

"Gh! Elecman! Stop them this instant!" Count Jac didn't want to wait to find out what would happen if he allowed the two to continue.

"Attack Battle Chip; Wide Sword! Slot in!" As Enzan sent the second chip data, Blues' other arm formed into a Wide Sword.

"I won't let you do that!" Elecman yelled. He thrusted both hands forward, sending a bolt of energy at his opponent. "Electric Blast!"

"Attack Battle Chip; Long Sword! Slot in!" As the final chip was slotted in, the entire audience gasped as a bright light engulfed the entire Battle Dome. No one could see what had happened, but they all heard Count Jack scream as the screen of his PET exploded from the overflow of energy. Once the light had faded, all the audience saw was the battle stage within the Battle Sphere had been completely split in half, only Blues remaining on it. Elecman was nowhere to be seen.

"Th-that's… Incredible!" Kiro was completely astonished. "The winners are Enzan Ijuuin and his NetNavi, Blues! But what power…! What happened…?"

"It seems Enzan and Blues had just performed a Programme Advance." Higgory was also in awe next to her.

"That- That was a Programme Advance?" Kiro turned to him, obviously shocked.

"Yes. A Programme Advance." Higgory nodded. "It's common knowledge that by using certain Battle Chips, their data would resonate with each other, and create a powerful attack known as Programme Advance. But few have actually managed to pull it off…" The Battle Chip collector pushed his glasses up slightly at that. "In fact, this is my first time to see one being used in battle…"

"That's amazing!" Kiro was ecstatic. "But why is Programme Advance so hard to pull off, Higgory?"

"Because Programme Advance isn't just about knowing the right combination and order of Battle Chips to input." Higgory explained as he looked at Enzan and Blues. "It's also about the synchronization of an operator and his NetNavi. If the operator and Navi aren't fully synchronized, then a Programme Advance is impossible, even if one has the necessary chips to perform it."

"That attack was a Programme Advance?" Netto was shocked as well. "But- But why haven't I heard about anything like that!"

"Netto-kun…" His elder brother sighed. "If you actually paid attention in class, you would know this."

"Hey!" The younger of the two frowned. Then, something crossed his mind. "Oh! Nii-san, you have all Sword, Long Sword and Wide Sword chips, don't you?"

Hub nodded. "Yeah."

Netto grinned. "Nii-san! Can you lend me those chips? I'd like to perform a Programme Advance, too!"

"What? No way!" Hub said, but his tone was teasing. "I still have matches to win! I can't just lend you all my chips willy-nilly!"

"Come on, Nii-san! Nii-san!" Netto chased after his elder sibling as the two of them ran out of the spectator's stand.

Watching the scene from above, Rockman smiled to himself. Neither of the twins acknowledged it, but it was obvious the two of them had a deep bond with the other.

"Interesting." Forte said.

"I know, right?" Rockman looked up, only to see that Forte wasn't actually talking about the twins. He was still busy looking over the Battle Index of the N1 Grand Prix.

"..." Quickly, he went over to the dark Navi. "What's so interesting?"

"Every match after this are going to be tag-team battles." Forte told him.

"Tag-team?"

"Hm. Two Navies are going to be randomly selected to fight against another pair of Navies until only one pair remains."

Rockman paused slightly at that. That would mean Netto and Hub Hikari would have a chance to be paired with each other and fight as a team! Rockman had seen how well the two worked together as a team, he couldn't wait to see them fight more opponents as a pair.

"That's not all, though." Forte continued. "It would appear they've done a draw, to have two defeated Navies come back as 'wild cards' in the tag-team battles."

"Oh?" Rockman was interested as well. "Who're those two Navies?"

"Colouredman and Fireman."

"Wh-what?!" The blue Navi wasn't expecting that!

Forte just looked at him. "...Is it really that much of a surprise? They've shown they'll do anything to achieve their goals, and rigging the drawing systems in the tournament wouldn't be out of the question."

Rockman frowned. "I don't believe it…" It would appear there really wasn't anything WWW wouldn't do to get what they wanted.

"Hm." Forte was strangely smiling. "I've changed my mind. Perhaps this tournament isn't as boring as I'd originally thought."

"Forte…" Rockman sighed. "You know I won't just stand aside and do nothing about this."

The dark Navi looked back at him. "...Of course not." He nodded. "You wouldn't be yourself if you had, Mega."

The Black Shadow and the Blue Myth looked at one another, seemingly coming to a mutual agreement of sorts as the next rounds of battles were announced.


	31. Chapter 30 (Rematch: WWW Navies)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry guys, I'll try to get to the really good bits as soon as I can but for now you're stuck with the anime plot. Setting up to the good parts still takes a load of time and effort… bleh.

"The last of the preliminaries have been wrapped up! The upcoming matches will now all be tag-team battles, so netbattlers will have to work with each other to defeat their opponents!" Kiro announced shortly after the final match had ended. "Remember to cheer for your favourite net battlers, everyone!"

"Tag-team battles, huh?" Netto smiled briefly. He and his twin sibling were both currently on the spectator stand.

His elder sibling hummed. "I wonder who we'll get paired up with."

"That's not all!" Kiro continued once the cheering had died down a bit. "To begin the tournament's first tag-team match, we have a special announcement for everyone!" The reporter paused for dramatic effect. "We have selected two defeated contestants in the preliminaries as wild cards to compete in the first tag-team match! Meaning there's still a chance for these wild cards to be the N1 Grand Prix Tournament!"

"I wonder who they're going to be?" Hub mused. "Maybe it's someone we know?"

"And here are the results!" Kiro smiled as she read from her cue card. "The contestants competing to be number one netbattler in the N1 Grand Prix will be Madori Iroaya's Colouredman and Hino Kenichi's Fireman, against Hub Hikari's Rockman Zero and Maylu Sakurai's Roll!"

"What?! Those two! And they're dragging Maylu into this as well!" Netto yelled out in shock. He turned to his elder sibling. "Nii-san! You have to be careful! Who knows what they'll try this time!"

"Yeah…" Hub Hikari shared his concern. "I'll definitely look out for any tricks they pull."

* * *

"Well, well, well! Never thought you'd face us again, huh!" Madori was quick to taunt them once all four of them had stepped onto the stage.

"You're not getting away, this time!" Kenichi pointed a finger at the two fifth graders. "This time, you'll be burnt to cinders for sure!"

"How rude!" Maylu Sakurai frowned at the two WWW operators. "Well, I'm not afraid of you! And neither is Hub! Isn't that right?" She turned to her friend.

"Oh, y-yeah." Hub said, a bit belatedly. He remembered what tricks these WWW operators had pulled the last three times. Adding to the fact that this was a tag-team match, it made him anxious just thinking about what they were planning this time. He didn't want Maylu or Roll to get hurt.

"Well aren't you a feisty one!" Madori said in mock shock. "But let's see if you can still hold your head up high when you've been defeated!" The WWW operator took out the PET. "Go get them, Colouredman!"

"We've still have a score to settle in between us, too!" Kenichi followed suit. "Plug in, Fireman!"

"Hub and I won't lose to the likes of you!" Maylu seemed determined. "Plug in, Roll! Transmission!"

"Right- We'll give it our all!" Hub agreed. "Plug in, Rockman Zero! Transmission!"

The crowd cheered in anticipation for their battle as the four Navies plugged into the Battle Dome simultaneously. "Alright! Battle start!"

"Kee hee hee! You won't be getting away this time!" Colouredman acted instantly. The clown Navi raised his hand. "Aqua Tower!"

"I'm going to burn you to a crisp!" Fireman followed, slamming one of his arm canons into the ground. "Flame Tower!"

Both the pillars of fire and water sped towards Rockman Zero and Roll from opposite directions. Just as the red and pink Navies were bracing for the impact, the two opposite element pillars collided into each other, cancelling Colouredman's and Fireman's attack out all at once.

"Argh! What made you think using Flame Tower was a good idea?!" Madori was already yelling at her partner.

"What about you? You're the one who used Aqua Tower!" Hino yelled back at her.

"Maylu-chan!" Hub Hikari turned to his friend as he realized something. "Look!"

"I know!" Maylu Sakurai appeared to have realized this as well. "They really aren't good with working together, huh!"

"Yeah! We can gain the upper hand and win that way!" Hub concluded. He smiled at his friend. "When our chance comes, we'll…" He whispered the rest to Maylu, the girl grinning and nodded once he finished relaying his plan.

"Alright! Let's do that!"

"Hey! This is no time for you two to be chit-chatting!" Colouredman jumped up, preparing for an attack. "Ball attack!" He shot out the huge ball from underneath him.

"Let's do this, Roll!" Maylu took out her Battle Chip. "Attack Battle Chip; Cyclone! Slot in!"

Holding her arm out, a cyclone formed in Roll's hand. Aiming it at Colouredman's ball attack, the pink Navi sent it flying back at Colouredman, the clown Navi screaming in shock as his attack flew back towards where it had come from and collided with him, knocking him to the ground. Then, Roll turned to her teammate. "Ready?"

Rockman Zero nodded, smiling. "Ready!"

Smiling back, the pink Navi sent the gust of whirlwind out from her hands, the swirl of cyclone sweeping up the red Navi in its wake.

"What is this? Are you actually stupid?" Fireman laughed at the two, before he noticed something was wrong.

"Let's go! This is our special attack!" Hub took out one of his Battle Chips. "Attack Battle Chip; Long Sword! Slot in!"

"Fury Cutter!"

From within the cyclone, Rockman Zero formed his hand into the Long Sword, creating a whirlwind of slashes as the cyclone sped towards its the Fire Navi. Fireman's realization came too late, and he was unable to get out of the way in time as the flurry of blades slashed through him. The cyclone dissipated shortly after, releasing the red Navi within it unharmed.

"Alright! We did it!" Maylu cheered.

Hub was smiling as well; truth be told, he'd taken inspiration from watching his younger sibling's street battle with Enzan and his Navi, Blues. However, he noticed that something was up once he turned back to their opponents.

' _That's weird. They don't appear to be worried at all.'_  Hub thought to himself as he watched the two WWW operators' expressions carefully.  _'Don't tell me they're still planning something…?'_

"Now!" Kenichi suddenly exclaimed. "We have him where we want him!"

As soon as he finished, a loud rumble sounded over the battle stage within the Battle Sphere, and a bolt of black lightning shot down from above. Rockman Zero stared in shock as the dark lightening sped towards him.

"Zero! Watch out!"

In an instant, Roll had pushed the red Navi out of the way, but the action resulted in her being struck by the dark electricity instead, the pink Navi screaming in pain as the shock ripple through her.

"Shit! We missed!" Madori cursed as she saw what happened.

"Tch. Whatever." Hino was annoyed as well, but he didn't seem as angry as his WWW co-worker appeared to be. "The effect is the same, anyways."

"R-Roll!" Rockman Zero could only look on in horror as the dark electricity crackled wildly around his friend. There was a bright flash of light, before the area within the Battle Sphere became oddly quiet. Reopening his eyes, Rockman Zero gasped in shock at what he saw.

Roll was standing before him silently, as if nothing had happened, but something was wrong. Her appearance seemed more menacing, and two dark, bat-like wings had sprouted out from her back. After a moment, the pink Navi opened her eyes and placed one of her hands before her, a look of surprise and annoyance briefly crossing her features as she did so.

"Roll…?" Rockman Zero was uncertain of what to do. Something told him his friend was not entirely herself at this moment in time. "Are you… okay?"

That got the pink Navi's attention instantly. Snapping her attention towards the red Navi, she scowled. "Silence!"

Rockman Zero only just managing to duck out of the way of a bolt of electricity as Roll pointed a finger at him. "Wh-what's gotten into you?!" The red Navi asked once he steadied himself.

"What's happened?" Kiro was dumbstruck as well. "It would seem that Roll has suddenly decided to attack her teammate!"

The pink Navi narrowed her eyes as she heard this. As Fireman and Colouredman approached her, she glared briefly at the both of them.

"What the  _fuck_  is this?" She hissed, just loud enough for the two WWW Navies to hear. "We agreed that I would take over that red Navi's body- not this pink chick!"

"What's done is done." Fireman hissed back at her. "Just stick to the plan- If we can delete that red Navi, then we would've effectively accomplished the exact same thing."

"You two!" By now, Rockman Zero would have been a fool to not know that something was definitely wrong. "What have you done to Roll-chan?"

Both WWW Navies and Roll looked back at him. Behind her, Colouredman gave Roll a nudge. "Come on, Elecman! Just do it!" He whispered to her.

The pink Navi let out a loud groan of frustration, falling silent for a brief moment, before she looked back up, grinning wickedly.

"They've done absolutely nothing!" The now-transformed Roll said with a bright smile. "I've just realized that I no longer wish to be your friend is all!"


	32. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I've just smoothed out a bunch of plot related things in the future and I absolutely cannot wait to get to the part where Rockman's happiness just dies. I'm actually smiling just thinking about it. Why I like tormenting my favourite character, I have no idea.

* * *

Rockman Zero gasped as he jumped out of the way of another one of Roll's bolt of electricity. "Roll! Snap out of it already! What's happened to you?"

"This is completely unexpected! It seems that Roll has indeed aligned herself with the opposite team! It's now three versus one!" Kiro explained to the entire audience.

"Roll-chan! Why are you doing this?" Maylu was distraught as well. "Can't you see that we're your friends?"

"Friends…?" The pink Navi narrowed her eyes. Raising her hands once more, she shot out another blast of energy towards Rockman Zero. "I would rather be deleted than be associated with you!" The red Navi wasn't fast enough to dodge out of the way of this shot, and he screamed as the beam of electricity electrocuted him.

"Zero!" Hub was horrified.

"Roll, stop this!" Maylu attempted to get through to her Navi once more. "Don't you remember us?"

"Do I remember who you are…?" Roll paused slightly, narrowing her eyes, before she broke out into a grin. "Of course I do- How can I forget? You're my annoying ex-operator who's always telling me to do things!"

"R-Roll!" The girl was taken aback.

"How could you say that?" Rockman Zero slowly steadied himself.

"I told you- I no longer want to be associated with you lot!" Roll proclaimed loudly as she turned to Maylu. "I denounce you as my operator!"

There was a collective gasp within the Battle Dome. "An operator being abandoned by her NetNavi! This is completely unheard of!" Kiro exclaimed.

Maylu was barely holding back tears at this point. Hub placed one hand on her shoulder. "Maylu-chan, I don't think that's Roll…"

"Hub-san is right." Rockman Zero nodded. "Roll-chan would never say things like that!"

"But- But then, what's happened to Roll?" Maylu was frantic.

"I'm not sure…" Hub frowned. "But I think it might have something to do with that black electricity…"

"That's right." Rockman Zero seemed to have realized something. "That black electricity was aimed at me, but then Roll had pushed me out of the way…" The red Navi shuddered. He couldn't even imagine what would have happened if that lightenling had struck him.

The girl seemed to ponder this for a moment, before she nodded her head hesitantly. He knew her Navi well enough to know that there was no way Roll would act like this on her own accord. "Then how will we return her back to normal?"

"I'm not sure… huh?" Hub frowned. Someone was attempting to initiate an audio call with him. "That's weird… I'm pretty sure I've turned that off for the match…" The boy paused for a slight moment, before he accepted the transmission out of sheer curiosity. "Who is this…?"

"Your friends have realized that a radio wave transmitter is being used to control your pink friend." A voice spoke out before he could say anything else. Hub recognized the voice instantly.

"It's you!" He remembered the voice to be that of that strange Navi which had helped them defeat the giant virus responsible for the Battle Dome's malfunction last time. "Who are you? And why-"

"I trust that even you can accomplish something as simple as surviving until your friends have located the transmitter." The voice continued, ignoring him. Then, the audio feed was completely cut out.

"Hub…?" Maylu had heard the entire conversation. "You know that person…?"

"No really…" The elder Hikari admitted. "But he's helped us out before, during Netto's and X's battle with Fireman."

Maylu was surprised by that realization, but she was still worried. "What should we do now…?"

Hub cast a quick glance towards the spectator stand, and quickly noticed that his younger sibling as their group of friends are indeed nowhere to be seen within the crowd. He turned back to the battle before hand. "We don't have a choice. Zero and I will just have to hold out until Netto-kun and the others find where they're sending the radio waves to control Roll-chan are coming from."

"Whatever you're planning, it's not going to work!" Fireman aimed one of his arm canons at Rockman Zero.

"That's right! Hee hee!" Colouredman spoke up as well. "You'll be deleted long before then! Ha!" Then, the clown Navi jumped up into the air. "Ball attack!"

Seeing the attack coming, Rockman Zero only just managed to form his hand into a sword and cut the huge ball in half as it sped towards him, but that had left him open for attack.

"You're finished now!" Fireman fired shot after shot of fire at the red Navi. "Fire Blast!"

"Zero! Look out!" Hub reacted instantly. "Battle Chip; Area Steal! Slot in!"

Rockman Zero disappeared just as the barrage of flames rained down upon him. He reappeared behind Fireman. Just as he raised his sword to strike down the fire Navi, a familiar figure stepped in between the two Navies.

"Roll!" Not wanting to hurt his friend, Rockman Zero faltered in his attack immediately. "What are you doing?!"

"Tch. How noisy." The pink Navi ignored him, and instead, just pointed a finger at him. "This will silence you!"

A bolt of electricity shot out from her fingertips at that same moment. The red Navi neither had the time to anticipate nor dodge away from the attack, and was electrocuted once more as the energy shocked him. He fell to the ground in pain as Roll approached him with an amused expression on her face.

"What're the matter, _Zero?_ " Roll asked looked down at him. "Do you find me that _electrifying_?" Her grin only widened as the red Navi looked up at him with a pained expression. "Don't you worry- I'm far from being done with you!" The pink Navi then tossed her head back, letting out a high-pitched laugh. " _Kya ha ha ha ha~!_ "

Behind her, both Fireman and Colouredman felt a chill go down their spines.

* * *

"Glide, have you managed to pinpoint the exact location of where the radio waves are coming from yet?" Rockman X asked as the group of Navies sped through the cyberworld.

"Not yet, but I am getting close. It should only be several moments more for me to locate it." Glide replied.

"Guts! How dare WWW use Roll-chan for their schemes! Guts!" Gutsman was angered.

"I can't believe it, either!" Iceman agreed with Gutsman's sentiment. "But- but there's still one thing that worries me…"

"What is it?" Rockman X asked as he looked back at his friend.

"Well, it's about that audio message from that Navi…" Iceman seemed a bit lost for words, before he blurted out. "A-are we sure we can trust that guy?!"

"I'm not sure, but he's helped us out before, hasn't he?" Rockman X reasoned.

"But that doesn't mean we can trust him!"

"Huh? Why not?"

"B-because!" Iceman appeared unusually flustered. "He's scary! How can you trust someone that scary?"

"..." Rockman X didn't have an answer for that.

"I've got it." Glide spoke out as he located the source of the radio waves. "This way!"

Following Glide, it didn't take long before the group of Navies logged into the systems where the radio waves were transmitted from. The group was slightly taken aback at the large contraption that stood in the center of the system.

"So this is what they're using to transmit the bad waves, guts?" Gutsman was a bit uncertain.

"It would seem that is the case." Glide said as he looked at the contraption. Four large lightning rods stuck out from the main body of the machine, and there appeared to be a faint outline of another NetNavi within the centre of the strange device as it hummed with energy. "I suspect that if we destroy it, we will be able to return Roll back to normal!"

"Guts! Leave it to me, guts!" Gutsman raised both his hands, forming them into a hammer. "Guts Hammer!"

He slammed the Guts Hammer down onto the strange machine, but an energy field crackled to life instantly, protecting the device from harm. Gutsman was flung back as repeated attempts of damaging the radio-emitting device cause the electric field around it to flare up, striking him.

"Here, let me try!" Rockman X aimex his buster at the machine. "Charge Shot!"

Shooting out a large energy blast from his buster, the shot flew towards the strange device, but the electric field around it had once again protected it from harm.

"Damn it! None of our attacks are working!" Rockman X quickly realized. "There must be some way to destroy this thing…!"

"...Hm. I suppose it cannot be helped."

"H- Who's there?!" The group turned towards the voice instantly, and another Navi stepped out from the shadows.

"I-it's you!" Iceman recognized the Navi immediately. "You're that Navi from last time!"

"..." The unknown Navi paid him no mind and he unsheathed his sword. "Step aside."

That was the only warning he had gave the group before he slashed at the machine in one swift movement. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the radio-emitting device slowly began to collapse and cave into itself from where the strange Navi's sword had cut through it, a loud rumble sounding out through the entire area as the device was finally destroyed and rendered useless.

Meanwhile, Rockman X was gaping in shock at the scene before him. _'Such power…!'_

There were interrupted by the sounds of someone coughing just as the rumbling from the machine had died down. From within the rubble, Elecman emerged, his entire body covered in damaged data.

"... I am uncertain whether to feel annoyed or relieved that this plan of ours had been foiled." The electric Navi said.

"You're that WWW Navi!" Iceman pointed an accusing finger at him. "Give up! You can't beat us all!"

"Tch." Elecman didn't seem amused. Instead, he turned his attention towards the strange Navi.

"So it was you all along that had been interfering with our plans." Elecman acknowledged the strange Navi. "I do not know who you are, but be warned. We will be prepared for you next time!" With that, Elecman logged out of the systems, the fading laugh of _"kya ha ha~"_ sounding out through the area as he did so.

The group shivered collectively. They didn't think they could look at the electric Navi the same way again.

"...Hey." Now that the urgent thing had been resolved, Rockman X turned towards the mysterious Navi. "...I still don't know who you are, or what your intentions are… but thanks for helping us. Again."

"..." The strange Navi was silent for a moment. "You need not thank me. I am merely following the orders of my Mistress." With that, the strange Navi disappeared once more, leaving the group with more questions left unanswered.


	33. Extra 2 (H)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Extra chapters are now just a way for me to manually insert more porn into this fic. This one can be read as happening directly after Extra 1, but can also happen any time during the years when the Hikari Twins were growing up.

"Ahn… Hn… N-no…"

Rockman gasped softly as Forte bucked his hips into him once more, both of the blue Navi's legs were spread wide while the other's entire length slammed into him, hitting his soft, sensitive opening in _there_. Rockman shivered and keened as he felt whatever the dark Navi had left in there previously slosh around slightly. The blue Navi found himself unable to offer up any sort of resistance as the dark Navi began their third- fourth? Rockman couldn't remember at this point- round for the night.

The blue Navi shook his head, sobbing quietly as the larger Navi thrusted in and out of him, his insides clutching in slight discomfort around Forte's length as he was beginning to feel sore from the dark Navi's persistence.

"For-Forte… Stop…"

He whimpered when Forte merely grabbed his hips tighter, licking away any tears he spilled.

"Just one more." Forte told him as he continued to buck into the Navi below him. "Just once more and we'll be done, alright?"

Rockman sobbed harder. Ever since Forte had gotten a taste of him, the dark Navi never once passed off on any opportunity to have him again and again. The blue Navi wasn't sure how much more of it he could handle.

He would never have expected it. Even though he had known he would try his best to befriend Forte after seeing the dark Navi for the first time after he was sent back into the past, Rockman had never expected that this was the position he and Forte would end up in, with him writhing and whining underneath the larger Navi as the other repeatedly slammed into him.

"Mega…"

Rockman's eyelids fluttered softly as he attempted to respond to the other. However, as their gaze met, the smaller Navi's breath hitched- Forte always had a way to invoke some sort of emotional response from other people just from his gaze alone, and he couldn't help the cry of pleasure that escaped him as he was split around Forte's entire length repeatedly.

Even in his previous timeline, Forte was extremely good at making others feel what he wanted them to- There was a reason why so many people, both Navies and humans alike feared the Black Shadow with their lives, and Rockman couldn't say he blamed them. It took all but one look to see the intensity of power, hate and rage within the dark Navi's eyes, and the blue Navi would be lying if he said he had not been terrified as well when he first encountered the Black Shadow inside the Undernet. It was just that the terrible fear that he had experienced was also accompanied by an overwhelming excitement of having finally met the strongest Navi in the Undernet that had allowed him to suppress the fear and terror that Forte had invoked within him.

It was just a thing that the dark Navi was able to do, to invoke an intense emotional response from his victims just by looking at them. Rockman realized that Forte was doing the exact same thing to him now, yet instead of hate or rage or anger, the dark Navi was now looking at him with want and lust. But this time, the blue Navi felt himself completely helpless to whatever emotions Forte was managing to draw out within him.

Forte must have felt the shift in emotions within him, as well. He paused slightly just as he sheathed himself in the smaller Navi fully to grind against his soft insides, causing him to let out a long whine in response.

It made him feel slightly dirty, that Forte could make him aroused with just a single glance.

"Forte!" Rockman gasped as the other Navi bit him. He struggled slightly in embarrassment with whatever little strength he had left as the other Navi teased him. Another inward thrust had rendered him still as his entire body quivered with pleasure.

"Not yet." Forte told him. The dark Navi never once stopped in his pace. "I'm not done with you yet."

Rockman began whimpering incoherently, unable to reply as his insides quivered in delight, clutching rhythmically to meet each of the larger Navi's thrusts. For a moment, his pupils were blown wide with want, staring at nothing in particular as his body accepted everything Forte was doing to him with enthusiasm and joy, until the blue Navi suddenly noticed a strange look in Forte's eyes.

The blue Navi's blush deepened as his vision snapped back into focus. Rockman recognized that look.

Whenever Forte had talked about his desire for power, whenever he talked about his goal to become the strongest Navi by destroying and absorbing all of his enemies powers, and whenever he vowed his vengeance on the humanity that had betrayed him… He had that exact same look in his eyes that accompanied the hate, anger and desperation.

It was the look of _hunger_.

It was the exact same look, when Forte had hungered for power, when he had hungered for revenge-

And now, it was hunger for _him_ …?

Rockman gasped and jerked as realization struck him. No wonder Forte was so persistent with his advances- No wonder he was never able to reject any of Forte's advances. If the previous incarnation of Forte had told him anything, it was that whatever the dark Navi hungered for, he would get- regardless of the consequences, or anything at all.

Rockman's eyes widened at the thought that the dark Navi's hunger was now directed at him. A bit of panic and uncertainty shot through him as he realized this, but the Submissive part of him was absolutely squealing in delight that he had his Dominant's unwavering attention, that his Dominant wanted him with such determination and desperation and-

His own climax caught him off guard. The blue Navi let out something in between a cry and a whine as his entire body tensed up, his insides clenching in desire as he came, a gush of slick trailing down his thighs as Forte continued to fuck him through his orgasm, the smaller Navi sobbing harder in overstimulation, while his entire form was quivering in ecstasy. It took Rockman a moment to realize what had happened; He had came just from the thought that Forte had desired him with such intensity…!

The blue Navi began to keen loudly as his orgasm subsided. The other was still slamming into him with enough force to jolt his entire form, his inner opening had long been forced wide open and sore from the other Navi's persistence; It was too much- Forte's want and desire was too much- He was going to _break…!_

Rockman snapped back into awareness as Forte came inside of him, spilling himself deep within him for the third or fourth time that night, and he shivered, clutching the Navi above him tightly as he whined. He could feel the other filling him up in _there_ …

Then, Forte was kissing him. Rockman didn't have the strength to reject or reciprocate the dark Navi's actions, sighing slightly as the other Navi pulled away slightly, finally allowed him some time to recover.

He never would have guessed, that Forte would desire him with such intensity; or that he would want Forte to desire him with such intensity…

But then again, he never guessed that he would be sent back in time in the first place, had he?

"Mega." The blue Navi was brought out of his thoughts as Forte nudged him. He was still dazed, not having fully recovered from his climax yet.

"Forte…" He was tired, and his entire body sore at this point. He closed his eyes, wanting to pass out, when he felt the other Navi thrust up, _sharply_.

Rockman's breath was caught in his throat, his eyes snapped wide open. " _F-Forte!_ No!"

"..." The dark Navi met his gaze with _that_ look again. "Just one more round." He said.

"...!" Rockman shook his head, but the other's gaze was staring right through him. The blue Navi couldn't bring himself to say no as the Navi above him started once more, drawing out a series of moans and sobs from him as his entire body was soon flooded with pleasure.

It didn't appear he would be getting much rest this night, either.


	34. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I never like doing group projects. It's either a bunch of free riders that don't care, or a group of tyrants who're basically control freaks. I rarely ever have a group that I'm comfortable with working with. But then again that might just be because my social skills are minus 600. So maybe it's all my own fault. IDK.

"Variant Sword!"

Colouredman screamed as he was sliced in half. He plugged out from the Battle Sphere to avoid deletion. With one of his opponents taken care of, Rockman Zero now turned to Fireman.

The fire Navi visibly tensed. As soon as the radio waves that they were using to control Roll had been cut off, there was no reason for Rockman: Zero to hold back anymore, and the red Navi had begun to attack the two of them relentlessly.

"Let's end this, Zero!" Hub took out his final Battle Chip. "Attack Battle Chip; Z-Saber! Slot in!"

Seeing this, Fireman raised both his arm cannons at the red Navi. "Fire Blast!" It was his last attempt at fighting back.

Dashing towards the fire Navi, Rockman Zero slashed through the ball of fire easily with his Z Saber. Another quick movement and the red Navi had successfully rammed his saber through his opponent's chest, cutting Fireman wide open and forcing him to plug out moments later.

"Amazing! Rockman Zero has managed to pull out an incredible victory in the end!" Kiro exclaimed. "The winners of this match are Hub Hikari and his NetNavi, Rockman Zero, and Maylu Sakurai and her NetNavi, Roll!"

Hub let out a side of relief. That had been too close for his liking. He turned to Maylu. "Maylu-chan, is Roll alright?"

"Yes, she's fine, that's to you two." The girl had been able to plug her Navi out once she had returned to normal. "But she's really badly hurt. Whatever they did to her… I don't think we'll be able to compete in the tournament anymore…"

"It's fine, Maylu." Hub tried his best to comfort her. "At least Roll is safe now. That's the most important thing."

"...You're right." The girl nodded in agreement. "But you or Netto better win the tournament for us! Okay?"

The elder Hikari smiled softly. "Don't worry, we will!"

Above the Battle Sphere, Rockman also breathed a sigh of relief. It appears that there wasn't anything WWW wouldn't do to get rid of the foilers of their plans in this tournament. For a moment, the blue Navi could understand how Roll and the others had felt in his previous timeline; just being able to watch in worry from the sidelines and unable to actively help wasn't a good feeling to experience. It was one of the reasons he wanted to become stronger in the first place- So that he didn't have to feel that same sort of worry or helplessness of being unable to help.

"...Mistress?"

Rockman turned to face the shadow Navi. "Oh, Shadowman." He smiled sheepishly. "Thanks for helping me with WWW again. It seems I'm always relying on you for these things."

"...I had gotten careless. WWW is now aware of my interference." Shadowman told him. "I apologize for that, my Mistress."

The blue Navi frowned slightly upon hearing that. "...Well, I guess it can't be helped. Just be more careful in the future, Shadowman. Now that they know about you, I'm not sure what WWW will do… Don't get yourself hurt, alright?"

The shadow Navi paused slightly, obviously not expecting the reply he got. "I shall be fully alert, my Mistress. They will not catch me off guard."

"Alright." Rockman nodded. "Anyways, thanks again for looking out for the twins for me."

* * *

It was several more matches before one of the battles had caught Rockman's attention once more.

"Our next battle will be Gutsman and Woodman against Bomberman and Stoneman!"

The blue Navi blinked. If he remembered correctly, both Bomberman and Stoneman were WWW Navies; he encountered Stoneman while the Navi had gone on a rampage through the cyber world, destroying anything in his path, and Rockman didn't encounter Bomberman until after WWW had been defeated. In fact, Bomberman had been the one to lure him and Blues into the Undernet where they had fought and first encountered the Black Shadow.

He narrowed his eyes slightly at the thought. He realized that both Bomberman and Stoneman's early appearance in this timeline was likely in no small part due to him going back in time and changing things, but despite knowing that there was a possibility that he could alter future events with his actions, he couldn't bring himself to just sit back and let things happen. Not when he knew he could prevent them this time around.

However, that wasn't the only thing that worried him.

"Forte… those two operators…" Rockman looked towards the direction of the cloaked figures of Bomberman and Stoneman's operators as he said this. Forte followed his gaze, regarding the two figures carefully, before he must have realized the same thing Rockman had as well.

"Interesting." The dark Navi murmured softly to himself. Below them, the four competing Navies have already plugged into the Battle Sphere.

"So, you two will be our opponents for this round." Bomberman said as the two teams approached the other.

"That's right, Guts! Prepare to be defeated!" Gutsman pounded his chest in confidence.

"Kuhuhuh…" At this, Stoneman let out a strange laugh.

"Huh? What's so funny?" Woodman didn't appear amused.

"Such weak Navies…" Stoneman continued, his two round eyes gleaming. "You wouldn't be able to move us from where we stand…"

"Guts!" That comment had apparently angered Gutsman. "We'll see about that, Guts!"

"Alright! Battle Start!" Kiro announced from the announcer's stand.

"Guts Hammer!" Slamming his hammer down onto the ground, Gutsman sent a shockwave towards Bomberman, the WWW Navi just standing in place and the shockwave sped towards him, creating a large explosion as the attack collided with him.

"Woody Tower!" Woodman went on the offensive as well. Throwing both his hands up, pillars of Wood sprouted out from the ground around Stoneman, surrounding the giant Navi in an instant.

"Amazing! It seems that Gutsman and Woodman aren't giving their opponents a chance to fight back and have gained the upper hand!" Kiro exclaimed. Then, there was a pause when she noticed something. "W-wait! There's something inside the smoke…!"

As the dust and smoke cleared, the entire audience could see Bomberman unharmed, standing in the exact same place that he had before Gutsman had even attacked him. At the same time, there was a loud rumble, before the pillars of wood snapped and broke, Stoneman emerging from the broken remains of the Woody Towers, also unharmed.

"I-incredible! Bomberman and Stoneman are completely unaffected!" Kiro was floored. The crowd appeared just as shocked as well.

"That's weird." Higgory suddenly spoke out.

"Huh? What is it?" Kiro turned to him.

"Well, while it's the NetNavi that's actively engaging in a net battle, the net operator also plays a significant role in the battle as well, by sending their Navies Battle Chips to use." The chip trader tapped his chin lightly at that. "But… since plugging in their Navies, Bomberman and Stoneman's operator don't seem to be doing anything…"

"That's…" Curious, the reporter looked at the two operators. Indeed, they appeared to be just standing there, acting as mere observants to their NetNavies' battle.

"That's because they aren't real operators."

"Ahh!" Both Kiro and Higgory jumped at the new voice. "M-Miyuki Kuroi! H-how did you get up here?" Kiro was surprised by the sudden appearance of the fortune teller.

"..." Wordlessly, Miyuki took out a small metal spoon and made a quick slashing movement with it. At the same instant, both the cables linking Bomberman and Stoneman's PET to the Battle Sphere were snapped in half.

"A-ah!" Kiro was once again shocked. "Bomberman and Stoneman's connection to the Battle Sphere has been cut! They should be plugged out right now, but…" The reported swallowed briefly. "But they're still inside of the Battle Sphere!"

The two WWW remained where they were, unfazed by the announcement. Their opponents took a step back in shock. "H-how…?"

"Could it be…" Higgory seemed to have come to a realization. "That Bomberman and Stoneman are independent Navies?"

There was a murmur among the crowd, most of them not completely comprehending what the commentator had meant by that. "What's an independent Navi, Higgory?" Kiro asked for clarification.

"An independent Navi is a Navi that has no need for an operator." Higgory explained, pushing his glasses up. "They can think and act completely on their own according, and even make their own decisions during net battles."

Kiro gasped. "Does such a thing really exist?"

"Heh heh heh…" Within the Battle Sphere, Bomberman began to laugh. "It is true. Stoneman and I are independent Navies- We have no use for operators! Those two-" He raised a hand at their two operators. "Are merely our puppets!"

As the two operators flung off their cloaks, there was an entire gasp among the entire audience; There, in the spot where Bomberman and Stoneman's operator should be, stood two androids instead.

"Then...!" Kiro was alarmed by this development of things. "Gutsman and Woodman are indeed fighting against two NetNavies without operators!"

"S-so what, guts!" Gutsman seemed to have regained some of his confidence. Raising his fists, he ran up towards Bomberman. "Guts Punch!"

Seeing this, Woodman went in to support his teammate. "Woody Tower!"

Bomberman once again stood still as Gutsman rushed towards him. Just before Gutsman could swing his fist, Bomberman reacted; he matched Gutsman's attack with his own, countering him with a punch through his chest. Gutsman giving out a cry of pain before he was forced to plug out to avoid deletion. At the same exact moment, Stoneman summoned his own attack. "Stone Cube!"

A gigantic block of stone formed above Stoneman's head, before it was sent hurtling towards Woodman, striking him full force. Woodman had plugged out from the Battle Sphere not a moment later. There was no way he could continue fighting after he had sustained so much damage.

"Gutsman and Woodman have plugged out! The winners are Bomberman and Stoneman!" Kiro seemed to hesitate slightly at this. "B-but, is this allowed…?"

"Well… There's no rules saying anything against independant Navies participating in the tournament…" Higgory said as he flipped through the N1 Grand Prix manuel.

"Then…" Kiro quickly regained her composure. "What an unexpected turn of events, to have two independent Navies participating in the N1 Grand Prix! How would regular Navies fair up against fully independent Navies? We'll just have to see more in their next match!"

As the crow cheered in anticipation, Rockman's mind was swarmed with worry.

"I can't believe they made more." The blue Navi turned to Forte, realizing what the other had meant; Forte had been the first fully independent NetNavi, and it was probably a surprise to him that people would create more independent Navies after what had happened with him.

"Forte, I… I think those two are part of WWW as well." Rockman told him.

The dark Navi raised an eyebrow at him. "What makes you think that?"

"I-" The blue Navi paused. Indeed. As of yet, he had no proof of the two Navies' connection to WWW other than his own experience. "I… It's just a feeling I have."

"Hm." Forte was silent for a moment. "Normally, I would be more skeptical, but considering you've been right about quite a few things up to this point, I'll allow you some benefit of doubt." The dark Navi handed him the Battle Index for the N1 Grand Prix. "Besides, if the current pattern of the twins facing WWW NetNavies is to continue, I would say that your guess isn't that far off."

Rockman looked at what Forte was showing him, and his heart stopped.

' _No! This can't be!'_

Netto Hikari and Hub Hikari's next match was up against Bomberman and Stoneman.


	35. Chapter 33 (The Independent Navies)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Exams are near. Someone please free me from the pain which is my existence.  
> A/N2: All these typos will show me to type this shit out on my phone.

"We've had a series of amazing battles so far! And now, we come to our next match- The two fully independent Navies Bomberman and Stoneman, versus the Hikari twins Hub Hikari and Netto Hikari, and their NetNavies Rockman Zero and Rockman X!" The crowd cheered wildly as both Bomberman and Stoneman logged into the battle sphere on their own accord; after it was revealed that the two had been independent Navies, there was no reason to pretend that they have operators anymore.

Both Hikaris stepped onto the stage not long after. "I still can't believe such a thing like independent Navies are real." Netto mumbled softly.

"Well, there are some people who don't have NetNavies and can still go about their daily lives just fine. I guess the same is true with NetNavies." Hub pondered. "...But if they don't have operators, then how are they going to be able to use Battle Chips…?"

"I guess that means we're at an advantage, then!" The younger Hikari beamed.

"I suppose…" Hub wasn't as relaxed as his younger sibling. He didn't think the two independent Navies would join a tournament with such a handicap, and knowing how powerful the two were after their last match… The entire thing just didn't sit well with him. "But that doesn't mean we should let our guard down. Be careful, Netto!"

"Alright, I get it! Now let's win this thing!" Netto Hikari took out his PET as he approached the Battle Sphere. "Plug in!"

"Rockman X!"

"Rockman Zero!"

"Transmission!"

In a flash of red and blue light, both Navies plugged into the Battle Sphere, and the two opposite sides regarded the other silently for a moment.

"And the contestants are ready!" Kiro was ecstatic. "Alright! Battle start!"

"We'll take care of Bomberman; You go after Stoneman!" Netto told the elder Hikari as he took out a Battle Chip. "Attack Battle Chip; Canon! Slot in!"

Aiming his hand at Bomberman, Rockman X's hand turned into a canon. "Take this!" He fired the shot at the bomb Navi, the blast exploding on impact.

"Yes! We got him!" Netto grinned.

"Wait! Something's not right!" Hub told his younger sibling as he noticed something. As the smoke from the blast had cleared, the two saw that Bombman was surrounded by a barrier, leaving him unharmed from the attack.

"That's the Battle Chip data for Barrier!" Netto Hikari quickly realized. "But- but they don't have operators! How are they able to use Battle Chips?"

Bomberman crossed his arms and snorted. "We told you, we have no need for operators!" He declared. "Us independent Navies can use our own custom Battle Chips in battles, eliminating the need for net operators!"

Hub Hikari narrowed his eyes. So that's what the two were hiding. They'll just have to be extra careful. "Let's go, Zero! Attack Battle Chip; Variant Sword! Sl-"

"Quake!" Before the elder Hikari could even slot his Battle Chip into the PET, Stoneman had summoned several large weights, the weights falling from the air and crashing onto the battle stage, knocking Rockman Zero over before the Battle Chip data could be received.

"Zero!" Hub was alarmed. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." The red Navi quickly stood back up. "...But how are they able to attack so quickly…?"

"What an exciting match! Both Rockman X and Rockman Zero have gone on the offensive, but their attacks have been completely countered by Bomberman and Stoneman!" Kiro cried out from the announcement stand. "Higgory! Since this is the first time we've seen an independent Navi fight in a tournament, would you mind sharing some of your insights on this match?"

"Well…" The Battle Chip trader took a moment to gather his thoughts. "If I were to be completely honest, I believe independent Navies have an edge over regular NetNavies in net battles."

"Ehh? But don't NetNavies need their operators to send them Battle Chip data to use in battles? Doesn't that mean regular, human operated Navies have more advantage?" Kiro asked, obviously confused.

"That's true." Higgory acknolwedged. "But some NetNavies are able to use spare Battle Chip data, or custom Battle Chips in net battles even in the absence of their operators." He paused slightly, watching as Bomberman threw a Black Bomb at his opponents. "And it would appear that both Bomberman and Stoneman fall into this category."

"Okay, but how does that give independent Navies an edge over regular Navies? They're both using Battle Chip data to fight in battle, aren't they?" Kiro questioned.

"The key is in the timing." Higgory grew stern at that. "While regular NetNavies may have access to a wider Battle Chip selection than independent Navies, their operator have to send over the chip data before they are actually able to use it. The time that net operators take to assess the situation, pick out a Battle Chip and slot it in are all precious moments that regular NetNavies waste during net battles. In contrast…"

"Ah! Could it be…" Kiro appeared to have picked up on what Huggory was implying. "That independent Navies can use any Battle Chip data they want instantaneously?"

The Battle Chip trader nodded. "As a result, independent Navies can attack much faster and with more efficiency than regular Navies ever could." He paused slightly just as Stoneman had sent another barrage of Quakes towards Rockman X and Rockman Zero. "This is difference between independent and regular Navies."

Meanwhile, on the stage, both Hikari twins were in quite the predicament.

"Damn it! None of our attacks are working!" Netto realized. "They just keep on countering anything we do!"

"That can't be helped." Hub Hikari seemed to have come to a conclusion. "They're reacting too fast for us to keep up."

"Then what can we do, Nii-san! We can't just lose!" The younger Hikari was beginning to panic at this point. His elder sibling fell quiet for a moment, as if considering something, before he turned to his younger sibling.

"I have a plan." Hub told his sibling. "When I give the signal…" He whispered the rest to Netto, the boy was confused for a moment, before a moment of surprise crossed his features, quickly followed by a grin as he appeared to have understood something.

"Alright! Let's do this!" Netto took out several Battle Chips. "Attack Battle Chip; Mini Bomb! Slot in!"

"Take this!" Rockman X began throwing bomb after bomb at the two independent Navies once he received the Battle Chip data. As expected, Bomberman activated a barrier around him and Stoneman, effectively keeping the two Navies safe from harm.

"Useless tricks won't work on us…" Stoneman grumbled, unimpressed.

"Then what about this?" Netto took out another Battle Chip. "Attack Battle Chip; Vulcan! Sl-"

"Canon Ball!" Several Canon Balls flew towards Rockman X, but before they could hit their intended target, the blue Navi disappeared from view entirely. "Wh-what?!" Bomberman's cool composure was finally broken.

"That was Area Steal, idiot!" The younger Hikari stuck his tongue out. "Now's your chance, Nii-san!"

"Hm?" Stoneman let out a low grumble. The two independent Navies didn't realize what the two twins had planned until Rockman Zero had suddenly appeared behind them, his hand already formed into a sword.

"Now, Zero!"

"Variant Sword!" With a slash, Rockman Zero sent a wave of energy towards Bomberman and Stoneman, the two independent Navies caught off guard and unable to avoid the attack as it collided with them, a loud explosion sounding out within the battle dome.

"Yeah! It worked, Nii-san! We did it!" Netto grinned.

Hub was smiling as well. "They might be able to pull off attacks faster than we can, but without operators, they can only rely on themselves to assess their surroundings."

"A-amazing! Did Rockman X and Rockman Zero manage to pull off an incredible victory despite their disadvantage against the independent Navies?" Kiro was on the edge of her seat the entire match. "It seems- W-wait! Inside the smoke…!"

Both Rockman X and Rockman Zero appeared to have noticed as well. The two were completely on guard as they waited for the smoke to clear, and let out a collective gasp when at the scene before them.

"Bomberman and Stoneman are completely unharmed!" Kiro exclaimed.

"They're using Iron Body!" Rockman Zero quickly realized.

"...It would appear that we have underestimated you." Bomberman regarded both Hikaris carefully. "But we will no longer make the same mistake twice." With that, the bomb Navi turned to his partner. "Stoneman, commence the operation."

"..." Silently, Stoneman raised one of his large arm-like attachments, and fired an unknown programme into the air. The programme took a while to fully activate, but once it did, a large portal began to open up in the area above the Battle Sphere.

"I wonder if you'll put up as much of a fight without your operators?" Bomberman said dubious as the portal fully manifested itself. "We'll be seeing you two… In your own personal hell!" With that, the two independent Navies logged out of the Battle Sphere through the portal.

"Wha… What was that all about…?" Rockman X looked at where Bomberman and Stoneman had been standing a moment ago in confusion, before he realized something was wrong- His own data was being pulled into the portal. Panicking, he turned to Rockman Zero only to realize the same thing was happening to the red Navi as well. Both Navies yelled out in shock as they were pulled into the portal above.

Above the Battle Sphere, Forte had stepped in front of Rockman, shielding him with his own cloak once the dark Navi had realized what was happening, preventing the two of them being forced into the portal as well. Rockman could only stare in disbelief at the scene before him, unable to react.

However, Shadowman had. As soon as he saw the NetNavies belonging to the Hikari twins being pulled into the portal, he leapt from the platform, disappearing shortly into the portal as well.

A blinding flash then shot out from the Battle Sphere, and once the light had faded, the Battle Sphere was completely devoid of NetNavies.


	36. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Falling sick is not what I meant by "free me from this existence", but thanks, anyways, whoever's looking after me up there. Anyways, hope you guys like the new cover art. Took me like 5 hours to make. Why do I do this to myself.

"Shadowman!" Rockman reacted a bit belatedly. The shadow Navi was already nowhere to be seen.

"What just happened?!" Within the Battle Dome were the murmurs of the audience as they attempted to make sense of what had just occurred. "All four of the NetNavi contestants have vanished!"

"They're traveling through the cyberworld!" Higgory realized as he attempted to track the four Navies on his laptop. "They're going at an incredible speed… Ahh!" Higgory flinched back as the screen of his laptop exploded from the overflow of data.

"What to do…?" Kiro mumbled softly to herself as she flipped through the N1 Grand Prix Manuel. "There's nothing in the rules about this! This has never happened before! ...Huh?" The reporter looked up as one of the staff handed her a cue card. "Ah! It seems that we've come to a decision!" Quickly, she took the card and read from it. "If both pairs do not return to the Battle Sphere within fifteen minutes, they will both be disqualified!"

"What? Just fifteen minutes?" The younger Hikari panicked. "There's no way we can track X and Zero in time!"

His elder sibling frowned as well. "If we had an idea where they were taken to, we could… huh?"

A flashing light coming from outside the Battle Dome had caught his attention. Netto Hikari had noticed it, too, and the two twins looked to see that it had come from the lighthouse some distance away from the arena. They hadn't realized how cloudy it had gotten.

"That's the lighthouse…" Netto raised an eyebrow. "...But why's it flashing like that suddenly?"

"..." Hub Hikari was silent for a moment, his eyes fixated at the blinking light, before he gasped as he realized something. "It's flashing in Morse code!"

"What code?" His younger sibling gave him a confused look.

"Three short flashes, followed by three long flashes and then another three short flashes." Hub quickly explained as he pulled the cable connecting his PET from the Battle Sphere out. "It spells 'SOS'! I bet Zero or X had something to do with it!" He turned and ran off the stage. "Come on, let's go!"

"H-hey! Nii-san!" The younger Hikari yanked the cable of his PET from the Battle Sphere as well, not fully comprehending his elder sibling's explanation. "Wait for me!"

* * *

Shadowman stepped away from the control panel of the lighthouse. He wasn't completely sure if the two children would understand the message in the blinking lights, but that Hub Hikari seemed like a bright kid. He reasoned that at least the elder of the two would be able to catch onto the hint.

In the meantime, though, he had to make sure those two Red and Blue Navies aren't too badly damaged.

Stepping onto the edge of the platform, he looked over to see that both the twin's Navi had gone of the defensive, focusing their efforts on avoiding Bomberman and Stoneman's attacks instead of engaging them. At least they were smart enough to realize that this gave them the best chances of survival.

"Kuhuhuh… You can't run forever…" Stoneman grumbled as he summoned another attack. "Quake!"

Several more weights fell from the sky, landing around the red and blue pair, the aftershock from one of the weights managing to knock Rockman X off his feet.

"I've got you now!" Seeing his opportunity, Bomberman summoned several more bombs and threw them at the downed Navi. "Take that!"

"X! Watch out!" Forming his hand into a sword, Rockman Zero slashed the bombs apart before they could hit their mark. "Are you alright?"

"I- I'm fine!" Rockman X insisted as he stood back up. "Right now, we need some way to contact Netto and Hub!

"I know, but…!" Rockman Zero looked back at the two independent Navies. As much as he knew that Rockman X had a point, he didn't think their attacks would let up long enough for them to reach either of their operators.

"I'll bury you alive!" Stoneman let out a loud rumble, summoning even more weights. "Delete!"

Before the two red and blue Navies could react, weight after weight landed in a circle around them, effectively trapping them in place. Stoneman brought brought both of his arm-like appendages down, and a final weight began to fall directly on top of them.

"Zero! We're not getting out of the way of this one!" Rockman X quickly realized.

"Damn it, we'll just have to…!" Before Rockman Zero could finish, the huge weight landed on top of them, a loud rumble sounding out in the aftermath.

"Kuhuhuh… Target, deleted…" Stoneman appeared pleased with himself, before he noticed something. "...Hm…?"

Within the rubble, both Rockman X and Rockman Zero were still functioning; the two Navies were using their combined strength to support the Quake to avoid being crushed.

"Hm… Still alive…" Stoneman mumbled, slightly annoyed. "What about this, then?"

Raising both his arms, Stoneman prepared for a massive attack. Weight after weight was summoned, filling the entire area with Quakes afloat in the air. "Kuhuhuh! Nowhere to run this time!"

Slamming his arms onto the ground, the weights began to drop in sync, speeding closer and closer towards the ground. Shadowman grabbed the hilt of his sword.  _'Time to intervene.'_

"You know, for someone who spends so much time worrying about other people, you should really be worrying about yourself."

"!"

The shadow Navi turned, alarmed that he hadn't sensed whoever it was that had snuck up on him, but it was too late. In an instant, a force slammed into him, and he was thrown off the platform he was standing on, and directly in the way of stoneman's attack, a loud crash and rumble echoed throughout the entire area as the quakes fell on top of each other.

"Kuhuhuh… It has been done…" Stoneman was convinced that he had indeed accomplished his task this time. He turned to his companion. "Bomberman, let's return to the Battle Sphere." Raising his arm, he fired a shot, another portal opening in its wake.

However, before one of them could step a step forward, the sound of several buster shots interrupted them. The two independent Navies turned to see the pile of weights crumbling, Rockman X and Rockman Zero leaping out from the rubble just moments after.

"That was too close!" Rockman Zero complained.

"Sorry! Sorry!" It was Hub Hikari. It seemed that he had plugged into the lighthouse systems.

"At least we made it, right?" This time it was Netto Hikari, his holographic image appearing besides that of his elder siblings.

Stoneman let out a low growl of annoyance. He turned back to Bomberman. "Bomberman! You go back and win the match. I'll take care of these two once and for all!"

"Alright." Bomberman agreed. "You follow once you've dealt with those two." With that, the bomb Navi disappeared into the portal.

"Netto-kun. If we don't send either X or Zero back to the Battle Sphere, we'll be disqualified." Hub quickly realized.

"I know, I know!" Netto frowned. "But how are we going to get past that guy?" He was referring to Stoneman.

"..." Hub silently considered his options for a moment, before he turned to his younger sibling. "Netto, when I give you the signal, have X run for that portal."

"What?" Netto stared at him. "I'm not leaving you are Zero behind!"

"You're not. As long as either X or Zero can make it back to the Battle Sphere, we can both advance to the next round." Hub told him. Then, he turned back to the battle at hand. "...Zero, let's try it."

"...Hub-san?"

The elder Hikari took out three Battle Chips. "...Programme Advance!"

The red Navi got the idea instantly. Standing upright, he prepared for the attack. Both Navi and operator pausing for a moment to gathering themselves.

"Attack Battle Chip; Sword! Slot in!" Hub Hikari slotted in the first Battle Chip. Rockman Zero held his arm out, forming one of his hands into a sword.

"Nii-san…!" The younger Hikari stared in awe and wonder besides him.

"Attack Battle Chip; Wide Sword! Slot in!" As the second chip data was sent, Rockman Zero's other arm transformed into the Wide Sword.

"Your efforts are futile!" Stoneman rumbled. He raised his arms. "Stone Cube!"

As Stoneman's attack flew towards Rockman Zero, Hub quickly put in the third battle chip. "Attack Battle Chip; Long Sword! Slot in!"

Raising both arms high above his head, Rockman Zero brought the two swords together, the three swords combining and turning into something else entirely.

"Beta Sword!" A wave of energy was emitted as Rockman Zero swung the newly formed sword at the oncoming attack, slicing the Stone Cube in half. Seeing this, Hub quickly gave the signal. "Now!"

"On it!" With a leap, Rockman X landed on top of the wave of energy produced by the Programme Advance, and he was sent into the portal, riding the wave of energy back to the Battle Sphere before Stoneman could stop him. As the portal closed, Rockman Zero fell to his knees, the Programme Advance having drained the rest of his strength.

"Why you…!" Seeing one of his targets had escaped, Stoneman decided to turn his rage towards the red Navi. The large Navi raised his arm, intending to crush the other under his weight, but Rockman Zero disappeared before he could bring his arm down- Hub Hikari had plugged him out of the system.

Back in the Battle Dome, another flash of bright light shone out from the Battle Sphere, before both Rockman X and Bomberman landed into the Battle Sphere once more.

"Both Bomberman and Rockman X has made it back to the Battle Sphere with only seconds to spare!" Kiro quickly announced. "Both teams will be continuing onto the next round in the tournament!"

As the crowd cheered, Bomberman only regarded the other Navi in the Battle Sphere carefully.

"Rockman X…" The bomb Navi narrowed his eyes at the other. "...We'll be seeing each other again… Very soon."


	37. Chapter 35

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Apparently my Mom has been watching me watch Megaman for like 10+ years but still didn't realize Rockman has green eyes.
> 
> A/N2: Got dragged to a party by some friends and it lasted longer than expected so you're getting this chapter a bit late. Sorry.

The area was quiet for a while, before a loud shot burst through the rubble, the large pile of broken tiles cracking and breaking in half before revealing a small barrier inside.

"Shadowman! Are you alright?" Rockman said as he canceled the barrier he was using and helped the other Navi up.

"...I am fine, thanks to you, my Mistress." Shadowman took a moment to steady himself.

The blue Navi allowed himself a sigh of relief. He didn't mean to doubt Shadowman's abilities, but knowing that WWW was now aware of his presence made him worry they might do something to target the shadow Navi directly. He ended up tracking the other through their Pact and arrived at the server just in time to see Shadowman falling directly into Stoneman's attack.

Now that he thought about it, it was good that he had made the decision het had. Shadowman relied on stealth and surprise to take out his enemies- Not brute strength. An attack of that scale would have seriously injured him, or might have even deleted him.

"...Shadowman, what happened?" Rockman asked once he was sure the other Navi was indeed alright. "It's not like you to be caught off guard like that…"

Shadowman was silent for a moment, probably brewing in a mixture of shame and anger at his own mistake before speaking.

"It is my fault." Shadowman confessed. "I did not sense their energy signal, and that allowed them to sneak up on me."

"They snuck up on you…?" Rockman frowned. That was a bit hard to believe, but if Shadowman was a Navi specifically designed for stealth, then maybe it wasn't that hard to conclude that there might be other NetNavies out there that were programmed to do the same thing. It was just surprising that there was a surface Navi with the specs high enough to fool even Shadowman's senses, though that only further confirmed Rockman's suspicion that WWW was actively taking measures to get rid of the shadow Navi.

As if sensing his question, Shadowman clarified his words. "I do not believe that they are a surface Navi, my Mistress. It's very possible that they are an Undernet Navi."

"An Undernet Navi?" Rockman briefly considered the possibility. "But… Why would an Undernet Navi ally themselves with WWW?"

"It does not need to be an alliance, my Mistress." Shadowman explained. "Many Undernet Navies will be more than willing to do anything, given the correct price."

"Oh, so a mercenary…!" Rockman realized. But that only brought up another question in his mind.

What Undernet Navi would be both stealthy enough to get past Shadowman's senses, and would be willing to do dirty work for WWW? Rockman couldn't think of any Undernet Navies he knew of that fit both these criteria.

"...I shall not fail again." Shadowman was determined. "The next time I meet them, I will make sure they pay."

"Shadowman…" Rockman sighed, giving the other Navi and soft smile. "I'm just glad you're okay."

The shadow Navi met his gaze, becoming silent once more before he suddenly fell to his knees. Alarmed, Rockman grabbed him by his hands. "Shadowman! Were you hurt?!"

"...No Master would care about their Subservient as much as you do, my Mistress." Shadowman said.

"Wh-what…?" The blue Navi was confused by why the other was suddenly bringing this up.

"I have been searching for a Master for years, yet I could not find one that I respected or trusted enough to follow." The shadow Navi clarified. "But… when I saw what you did in the Mettaur Village... " He paused slightly at that, as if unsure of how to say it. "...I am glad that I took that risk."

Rockman just stood there, eyes wide, unsure of how to feel about Shadowman's confession. It was true that they had formed a Pact as Master and Subservient but… The blue Navi supposed he must have underestimated how mistreated Subservients were by their Masters.

"My Mistress." Shadowman took Rockman's hands in a firm grip. "Even if you were to revoke our Pact, I shall forever remain your loyal Subservient."

"..."

Maybe he had also underestimated just how much of the future he had affected.

* * *

"What do you mean you're not going to be able to participate anymore?"

"It's like a just said…" Hub Hikari sighed. "I think Zero and I might have overdid it with the Programme Advance, and I don't feel too good about letting Zero into another battle when he's not fully recovered yet, so…"

"Damn… That's a shame…" His younger sibling mumbled as the two walked back to the spectator stand. "I was hoping we'd get to fight more opponents together…"

"Well, even if I made it onto the next round, we might not have been paired together, anyways." Hub offered an encouraging smile. "...Besides, this is the perfect opportunity for you to win the tournament! We both know I would've won if we were paired against each other!"

"Hey! That's not true!" Netto was about to say more, but another announcement had caught his attention.

"Our next tag team match will be Blues and Shiningman against Pickman and Drillmach!"

"Blues?" The younger Hikari appeared to have realized something. "Oh! Isn't he that Enzan guy's Navi?"

"He is." Hub nodded. "So he's made it this far into the tournament, too."

The twins then fell quiet and watched as the four Net Operators step onto the stage and plug in their Navies.

"Battle start!"

Pickman and Drillmach reacted instantly, rushing towards Shiningman and Blues at once as they attacked. Shiningman didn't appear fazed. Instead, the Navi began to march forward, humming some sort of weird tune.

"..." Blues stayed where he was, merely observing the scene before him as Pickman and Drillmach closed in on the two of them. Then, without warning, the red Navi swung his sword, emitting a wave from his blade, the slash hitting all Pickman, Drillmach and Shiningman in one fell swoop, ending the match instantly as he defeated all three Navies at once.

"P-pickman, Drillman and Shiningman are all unable to battle!" Kiro seemed astonished by this turn of events as well. "The winners are Enzan, and his NetNavi Blues!"

There were some hushed murmurs within the crowd. On the stage, Shiningman's operator was already yelling at the white haired boy, but he was promptly ignored as Enzan made his way off the stage.

"That guy…!" Netto frowned. "It's like he doesn't care about anyone other than himself!"

"..." Hub was quiet for a moment, but as Enzan made his way just past where the two twins were sitting in the spectator stand, the elder Hikari yelled down at him. "Hey you!"

That got Enzan to stop in his tracks. He appeared to have recognized Hub's voice, and looked up to meet the other's gaze. "...It's you."

"I don't know what you're thinking, but you can't just win everything by your own!" Hub yelled down at him. "There's going to be a time that you have to rely on someone!"

"Nii-san…!" His elder sibling's forwardness surprised Netto.

"..." The white haired boy narrowed his eyes briefly, before he spoke. "You talk a good game. But you still ended up being held back by the people you rely on."

"Wh-what did you say?" The elder Hikari was slightly taken back.

"Your technique is clearly greater than that of your brother's over there." Enzan continued. "You could have had your Navi return to the Battle Sphere by himself easily, yet you chose to save that sibling of yours, thus forfeiting your chances of winning the tournament." With that, the elder boy continued on his way.

"Th-that's not true! You take that back!" Hub yelled after him, but this time, he was ignored.

"...Nii-san, what he said about you and Zero, was it…?" Netto asked, feeling guilty for having caused his elder sibling to be unable to participate in the N1 Grand Prix, either directly or indirectly.

Hub Hikari turned to him immediately. "Don't listen to him- It's not true at all! And even if it were, I don't regret it!" He told his younger sibling, his gaze stern. "...You just focus on your upcoming matches okay?" He flashed a smile at his sibling at that. "Tell you what, if you win your next match, I'll let you borrow my Battle Chips!"

Netto Hikari appeared slightly uncertain for a short moment, before he nodded with renewed confidence and determination. "Alright, Nii-san! You said it!"


	38. Chapter 36 (H)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: One more chapter before the semi-finals. Anyways, looked at the stats again. Sorting by "views", the first chapter that comes up is obviously chapter 1, but the second happens to be chapter 11, the third is chapter 5 and the fifth is chapter 16. Let that sink in for a moment.
> 
> On a side note, just saw Infinity Wars. I'm glad my favourite didn't die, even though I was fully expecting him to going into the movie. Not sure if this counts as a spoiler or not, but I didn't say who my favourite was so…

"He's leaving." Forte told him just as Rockman made his way back to the platform they were spectating from.

"Who?"

"That white haired boy." Forte clarified. "He's just left the Battle Dome."

Rockman paused briefly. Enzan leaving the N1 Grand Prix? It wasn't like Enzan to run from competition- It wasn't as if he had anything to be afraid of, anyways. He had been crushing all his opponents up to this point. Maybe he had something important to do? He was a Net Police Officer, after all. "Maybe he has something to do? He just had a match, so his next one's probably not for a while, anyways. I'm sure he'll be back by then."

"Hm." Forte tilted his head as he regarded him carefully. "You seem to know a lot about those humans."

"That's…" Rockman wasn't sure how to respond to that. Even if Hub Hikari hadn't existed in his original timeline, he couldn't deny that he did know a lot about the two twins and Enzan. And their group of friends, to be completely honest. "I can't help it. They just keep getting into trouble."

When the other Navi just stared at him for several moments more, Rockman looked away, breaking eye contact with him. He felt as if Forte was just staring right through him, which was sort of true, he supposed.

"You're too obvious." Forte told him as he closed the distance in between them. "You care a lot more than you let on, Mega." At this, the dark Navi reached out a tapped Rockman's Navi emblem lightly, cutting him off before him could deny it. "I can feel it. In fact, it's so overwhelming that it's one of the only things I can feel from you whenever something bad threatens to happen to them."

"..." Rockman couldn't say anything. Forte had got him there. He smiled softly. "You see right through me, Forte."

If the dark Navi was surprised by how easily Rockman had admitted to that fact, he didn't show it. "...I understand your concern for the twins, Mega." Forte said. "But everyone else?"

"There doesn't need to be a reason." Rockman attempted to argue. "They're innocent in all this. So if I can help them, I will."

"Is that really it?" Forte pressed, and Rockman couldn't help but grow slightly nervous. He found that he tended to underestimate just how accurately Forte could interpret and pick out every single one of his separate emotions. He couldn't really tell Forte that he was from the future and that he'd already experienced everything once. He doubted the other would believe him, anyways.

...What if Forte did, though? The sudden thought had struck him, and Rockman couldn't help but consider what that would imply. It would be nice if he could be completely honest with the other Navi but…

That would also mean he would be telling Forte about how they were more enemies than anything in his original timeline, and what the dark Navi had done back then, how he had murdered all those NetNavies and humans ruthlessly-

What if Forte decided that he had ulterior motives for getting close to him? That it was just to prevent all of those tragedies from happening? While Rockman couldn't honestly deny that that might have been somewhat true, he did genuinely care for Forte himself. He knew how isolated and alone the other would have otherwise been, and he didn't want Forte to think that Rockman only offered his companionship to him just to prevent him from doing all those horrible things.

He was jolted out of his thoughts when he felt a finger gently brush over his cheek. Looking back at Forte, Rockman saw that the other's gaze had softened, most likely having felt his influx of emotions during his short monologue.

"...I can tell you're not comfortable with telling me your true intentions." Forte said softly. "...I'm not sure how to feel about that. Knowing that there's something you're holding back from me. But I won't push you for now." There was a slight pause. "...But I still hope you can tell me what that was all about. Whenever you're ready."

"Forte…!" Rockman was shocked, relieved and slightly sad at the same time. He was glad that the dark Navi hadn't just forced him into telling him what he knew, but he still couldn't help but feel guilty about the underlying implication that he didn't trust Forte, at least, not completely. "Forte, whatever happens, I, I…" He blushed furiously. Damn it, he still couldn't bring himself to say it out loud. "I… _care_ about you. A lot. Okay?"

The blue Navi averted his gaze when he saw the other's grin. It didn't help that he knew Forte could feel his embarrassment. "There's no shame in saying it, Mega."

"I _can't_!" Rockman was completely flustered at this point. Forte's expression remained amused.

"Then that's just another thing I'll be waiting on you for." With that, the dark Navi took his hands. "Come here."

Rockman allowed himself to be pulled towards the other, his back against Forte's chest as one of Forte's arms wounded around his waist. The blue Navi jumped in surprise as Forte's other hand slid under his cloak and cupped his bottom. "Forte!?"

"You've been paying so much attention to everything else." The dark Navi murmured behind him. "I think I deserve at least some of your attention, too."

" _Here_ , Forte?!" Rockman hissed, attempting to turn or struggle out of the other's embrace. "We're out in the open! What if someone sees?"

"They won't." Forte insisted. Rockman tensed, gasping softly when he could feel the other's hand reaching in between his legs, stroking his opening there. "And if we stay like this, no one would suspect anything, even if they saw."

"...!"

Rockman had no idea what Forte was doing. He couldn't look behind him very well, and true to Forte's word, his cloak did obscure whatever the other Navi was doing underneath if. His legs began to shake as he felt the other spread his fingers inside of him, Forte's arm on his waist was the only thing that was keeping him standing.

"Forte, I swear-" Rockman's voice faltered briefly when he felt Forte's length push up against him, the other's arm tightening around him as he struggled slightly. "This, this is the worst idea you've ever had..."

"Hm?" The blue Navi could hear the amusement in the other's voice. "Is that so? I'm sure I can change your mind."

Rockman couldn't stop the loud cry that escaped him when he felt Forte thrust upwards into him, shealting himself fully. He immediately clasped a hand over his mouth. Damn it, he hope no one heard…!

"Does it feel good?" The dark Navi teased him, kissing the back of his neck softly.

"I-it doesn't!" Rockman was seething with panic and embarrassment. "It's not- Hnn!"

Another long whine escaped him as Forte bucked his hips upward once more, this time, the tip of his length had nudged against that soft opening in _there_. "Are you sure?" Forte asked him. "You're clutching around me so tightly down there."

Rockman's entire body was shaking at this point. Despite himself, he could feel his insides throbbing in joy at being split open like this, the stretch was pleasurable, if not a bit uncomfortable with their position. "J-just… Just hurry up and get it over it."

"No." Forte said blankly. "I want to watch the next several matches like this."

Rockman's eyes went wide, his blush deepening in an instant. "F-Forte?!"

As the blue Navi turned his head, Forte kissed him lightly on his cheek, the action sending another shiver through the smaller Navi's body. "We've had plenty of passionate sex before." The dark Navi told him. "I want to savor this one."

"..."

Much to the blue Navi's chagrin, Forte had ended up keeping his words.


	39. Chapter 37 (Rematch: The Independent Navies)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: If Enzan Ijuuin doesn't arrive in 15 minutes then Netto Hikari is legally allowed to leave. (This meme has been dead for like 5 months lol.)
> 
> Anyways, sorry for the short chapter. I accidentally took a 12 hour nap. I'll try to get a longer chapter out tomorrow.

Hub was shifting nervously in his seat. As he had predicted, the semi-finals of the N1 Grand Prix came down to his younger sibling Netto Hikari and that Enzan against those two independent Navies, but…

The white and raven haired boy was nowhere to be seen.

"If contestant Enzan Ijuuin doesn't arrive in five minutes, then he'll be disqualified!" Kiro announced. "And contestant Netto Hikari and his NetNavi Rockman X will have to take on Bomberman and Stoneman alone!"

The elder Hikari looked down at the stage in worry. Netto was already in front of the Battle Sphere, the holographic images of the two independent NetNavies staring at him menacingly. He knew his sibling was gifted at net battling, but if Netto really had to go up against those two Navies on his own…

It was nothing short of suicide.

"Darn. Don't tell me that Enzan guy just ran away like that!" Dekao said from behind him. "What a coward!"

"Don't say that, Dekao." Tohru was more reasonable. "You don't know if that's true."

"Speaking of missing…" Maylu looked around for a brief moment at that. "Have you guys seen Yaito-chan anywhere…?"

Hub looked up as well. Now that Maylu has mentioned it, he didn't recall seeing the other girl for a while.

"Two minutes left!" Kiro's voice sounded throughout the Battle Dome once more. "There's not much time left! Will Enzan Injuuin make it in time? ...Ah!"

There was a collective gasp within the audience, followed by a loud cheer as a certain white haired boy ran into the Battle Dome. Hub breathed a sigh a relief as he watched Enzan step onto the stage besides his younger sibling.

"And contestant Enzan Ijuuin makes it onto the stage with one minute and forty-five seconds to spare!" Kiro exclaimed. "What a nail-biting way start to an already highly anticipated battle!"

"...Hmph, and here I thought you've done the smart thing and ran away."Bomberman spoke out from within the Battle Sphere. "Instead, you've walked straight into your demise…"

"We'll see about that." The white haired boy didn't appear fazed at all.

"Enzan!" Netto smiled. He had been getting slightly worried as well. "I'm glad you made it!"

"Netto Hikari, I have a favor to ask you." The elder boy turned to him.

"Huh?" The younger Hikari was confused. "What is it?"

"Tell Rockman X to stay out of Blues' way if he wants to live."

"H-hey!" That both angered and confused Netto even more. "What sort of attitude is that?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Enzan merely looked at him. "If you get in our way, we won't hesitate to delete you, too."

"Why, you…!"

"Netto-kun, calm down." Rockman X attempted to stop the situation from escalating. "I'm sure he doesn't really mean it…"

"..." Turning back to the Battle Sphere, the elder boy took out his PET. "Plug in, Blues! Transmission!"

Within the Battle Sphere, Rockman X watched as the red Navi logged into the battle stage next to him. "Blues! I hope we'll have a great match together." He offered the other Navi a friendly smile. However, it would seem that Blues shared the same sentiment of that of his operator's.

"You just stay out of my way." Blues told him so bluntly that even Rockman X was slightly taken back.

Seeing that all of the contestant NetNavies had plugged into the Battle Sphere, Kiro gave the signal. "Alright then! Battle Start!"

Rockman X reacted instantly. Forming his hand into a buster, he fired several shots at Bomberman, the independent Navi responding by summoning a bomb attack and throwing them at his opponent, the two attacks canceling each other out.

"They're as strong as I remember…" Netto frowned slightly. "We have to hit them hard and fast!" He took out a Battle Chip. "Attack Battle Chip; Giga Canon! Slot in!"

Rockman X aimed the canon at Bomberman and fired, the shot exploding on impact. However, once the dust had cleared, the independent Navi was inside a barrier, apparently having used one of his custom Battle Chips to counter X's attack. "We've told you- Normal Navies like you are no match for us Independent Navies!" With that, he summoned his next attack before the blue Navi could react. "Spread Bomb!"

Rockman X attempted to dodge out of the way of the bombs, but he had severely underestimated their explosion radius, the blast sending him flying backwards. Bomberman followed up on his attack with another series of bombs, not allowing the chance for his opponent to recover. However, before the bombs could hit their mark, a series of slashes flashed across the, causing them to explode prematurely.

"B-Blues!" Rockman X was slightly surprised by the turn on events, though he was nonetheless thankful. "Tha- Kuh…!"

"I told you…" The other Navi and punched him in the gut and held him as he faltered in his step. "Not to get in my way." With that, Blues tossed him aside, Rockman X crashing into several data cubes in the distance.

" _Enzan!_ " Netto yelled at the other net battler. "What are you doing?!"

The white haired boy ignored him. "Blues!"

His NetNavi nodded, seemingly having understood his order. "Yes, Enzan-sama!"

"Attack Battle Chip; Wide Sword! Slot in!"

Blues' arm formed into a Wide Sword as he made a dash towards Bomberman. Seeing his opponent approach him, Bomberman immediately summoned several more bombs, aiming them at the speeding Navi, but Blues dodged expertly out of the way of each of them.

"Attack Battle Chip; Paladin Sword! Slot in!"

As Blues neared Bomberman, his other arm turned into the Paladin Sword. Reacting before the bomb Navi could counter him, the red Navi jumped at Bomberman as he disappeared in a swirl of blades, catching the independent Navi in his attack.

"Bomberman!" Stoneman attempted to run to his partner's aid, but it was too late. A fury of slashes flashed across Bomberman's form, and once the bomb Navi was finally released from the whirlwind of slashes Blues had created, his body was split into a dozen pieces, the fading scream of Bomberman was the only thing that can be heard as he was deleted.

"Incredible!" The crowd cheered wildly at the display as Kiro announced. "Just when it seems that the Independent NetNavies have gained the upper hand, Enzan and Blues have managed to delete Bomberman with just a single attack!"

Without pause, the red Navi now turned to Stoneman. "You're next." Leaping into the air once more, Blues repeated his attack, but this time aiming at Stoneman. The huge, bulky NetNavi unable to move out of the way as the whirlwind of blades collided with him head on, enveloping him in a series of slashes.

Blues landed on the battle stage as the whirlwind broke apart. For a moment, Stoneman appeared to be fine. "Why… Why you…!" The large Navi turned to his opponent, but as he did so, his huge body began to break and fall apart; Blues' attack had cut him apart just like it did Bomberman. "Guh… Uh...!"

With a loud rumbling sound, Stoneman's body shattered into pieces, each of them collapsing onto the group with a bang. The entire crowd was in awe and shock at the quick and unexpected victory.

"Stoneman and Bomberman are unable to battle!" Even Kiro sounded surprised. "The winner is… W-wait! What's happening inside the Battle Sphere…?"

"Hm?" Blues had noticed that something wasn't quite right as well. He cast a quick glance backwards to where Stoneman's body had been, only to find that the broken pieces of the stone Navi's body were rebuilding themselves, piecing themselves back together, and it wasn't long before Stoneman was completely received.

"Th-this is unexpected!" Kiro exclaimed in shock. "Stoneman has somehow revived himself entirely!"

"Kuhuhuhuh…" Stoneman let out a strange laugh. "You might have been able to defeat Bomberman, but you won't be able to beat me!"

Despite this, Blues somehow retained his cool composure. The red Navi readied himself for another attack. "I'll be the judge of that."


	40. Chapter 38

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: For those exclusive to fanfiction up to this point, if you'd like to see some of the sketches and drawings I made for this fic, feel free to look me up on the Megaman Amino under the username "RubieKanary". There's the full version of the cover art waiting for you on there.

"Blues, finish that Navi."

"Wait!" Netto attempted to stop Enzan. "Don't you see what he did after your last attack? He's just going to reform himself again!"

"Don't tell me what to do!" Enzan snapped back at him, his calm composure breaking for a moment. Quickly, he turned back to the battle at hand. "Blues!"

The red Navi instantly leapt towards Stoneman, but the independent Navi was ready for him this time. Raising both arms, Stoneman summoned his attack. "Stone Cube!" Several large Stone Cubes flew at Blues, but the Navi avoided them with ease.

"Enzan, stop!" Netto was yelling at him right now. "Normal attacks aren't going to work!" At this, the younger Hikari seemed to have recalled something. "Programme Advance! Enzan, you have to use the Programme Advance!"

Enzan remained strangely silent, only motioning for his Navi to continue with his attack.

"The same trick won't work twice!" As Blues disappeared into a swirl of wind once more, the huge Navi raised one of his arms and brought it to the ground, creating a huge shockwave. The large vibration caused the whirlwind to break apart, revealing the NetNavi inside it in an instant, and before Blues could react to his counterattack, Stoneman shot both of his arms out, catching his opponent in between them.

"I've got you now!" Stoneman let out a loud rumble. "I'll crush you to pieces!"

Both Netto and Enzan gasped as Stoneman began to crush Blues in between his two arms, the red Navi letting out a scream in pain.

"X? X! Are you there?" The younger Hikari attempted to contact his NetNavi. If he didn't help Blues now, the red Navi was definitely going to be deleted.

"...Uh…" It took a moment for him to get a response. Rockman X had apparently been knocked unconscious when Blues had threw him into the data cubes. "Wh-what happened?"

"X! I'm glad you're alright!" Netto allowed himself a brief second of relief. "But Blues is in trouble! If you don't help him now, he's going to be deleted!"

"I…" It took Rockman X a moment to access the situation. "I have to find some way out of these data cubes first; half of my lower body is crushed undeath- I can't move!"

"Alright…" The boy thought for a moment, before he took out a Battle Chip. "I'll send over some Battle Chips. You use the blast to get out from under there, alright?"

"Got it!"

"Let's do this!" The Hikari grinned. "Attack Battle Chip; Mini Bomb! Slot in!"

A loud explosion sounded throughout the Battle Sphere, sending bits of debris and broken data everywhere. From within the smoke, Rockman X emerged.

"Attack Battle Chip; Mark Canon! Slot in!"

Rockman X aimed at Stoneman as his arm formed into the Mark Canon. The large Navi, not expecting his other opponent to suddenly reappear, was unprepared as the canon locked onto him. The blue Navi fired, the shot landing its mark and hitting Stoneman in one of his round, glowing eyes, causing the independent Navi to flinch back in shock and pain, allowing Blues to escape from within his clutches.

"You… How dare you…!" The stone Navi grew furious as he recovered from the attack. "I'll make this place your grave- I'll bury you alive!"

Raising both arms to the sky, Stoneman summoned an entire field of weights that littered the sky, before bringing them all down onto his two opponents. It seemed that the independent Navi was now more determined than ever to delete his two opponents.

"Enzan! I told you you had to use the Programme Advance!" Netto was yelling at the elder boy once more. "Why are you being so stubborn?"

"Shut  _up!_ " The white haired boy had lost all his patience at this point. "Stop yelling at me!"

"You can't just keep on doing what you want!" Netto only raised his voice. "At this rate, both X and Blues will be deleted!"

"You don't know  _anything!_ " Enzan was just as frantic as Netto at this point. "So stop pestering me and-"

He stopped abruptly when he felt something hit him at the back of his head, whatever it was falling to the floor with a soft 'clank!'. Startled and slightly curious, both boys looked to where the sound had come from.

On the floor, there were the two Battle Chips for Sword and Long Sword.

"If you don't have the chips then just say so!" Both of the boys looked up. Hub Hikari was yelling at the two of them from the spectator stand.

"What?" There was a flash of shock, before it was replaced with anger and annoyance. "What are you talking about?"

"Yaito-chan told me everything!" The elder Hikari let out a huff. "Now hurry up and use the Programme Advance!"

"I don't need your help!" The white haired boy snarled.

"Are you seriously still going on about that at a time like this?!"

Just then, another series of loud rumbles sounded out from the Battle Sphere. Rockman X let out a cry as he was knocked over by a shockwave, and while Blues was still relatively alright, it was obvious that the red Navi wouldn't be able to keep this up forever. With such an onslaught, there was no way they were able to get close to Stoneman. They needed an attack that would be powerful enough to break through the barrage of weights.

"Hurry!" Hub Hikari urged him on. "There's no point in being cool if you're dead!"

"Come on!" Netto Hikari joined in as well. "Me and X will cover you!"

"Fine!" Seeing no other way, the elder boy finally relented, though he didn't hesitate to make his displeasure known. "Blues! Programme Advance!" Hearing this, the red Navi prepared himself for the attack. Picking up the two Battle Chips from the floor, Enzan slotted the first chip in "Sword!"

Blues raised his first hand, quickly transforming it into a sword. His operator quickly sent him the second Battle Chip. "Wide Sword!"

"I'll delete you!" Realizing what was happening, Stoneman attempted to interfere. "Stone Cube!"

"HiCanon!" With a powerful blast, Rockman X had shot through the Stone Cube that Stoneman had sent hurtling towards Blues.

"Long Sword!" As the final chip data was sent, Blues raised both hands above his head, the two Sword and Wide Swords merging together to form the Programme Advance. Clutching the newly formed blade in his hands, the red Navi made a mad dash towards Stoneman. This time, the large Navi was unable to stop or move out of the way of Blues' attack, and the full force of the Beta Sword struck him head on. His core overloaded from the impact, and Stoneman let out a final roar as his entire body exploded, leaving behind only a huge crater on the battle stage.

"Stoneman has been deleted!" The crowd was cheering wildly. "Blues and Rockman X have managed to pull off an incredible victory!"

"Alright! We did it, Enzan!" Smiling, Netto turned to the elder boy.

"..." Ignoring him, the white haired boy just plugged his Navi out and walked off the stage. Confused and annoyed, Netto plugged Rockman X out from the Battle Sphere as well, quickly trailing behind the other net battler. "Honestly? What's your deal?"

The other merely continued to walk, stopping only when he saw two figures ahead of him in the hallway. It was the elder Hikari, with Yaito hiding behind him slightly.

Reaching into his pocket, Enzan took out the two Battle Chips that Hub had threw at him and tossed them back at him, the other just barely managing to catch the two chips mid air. Then, the white haired boy cast a glance at Yaito. "...I didn't think you would be able to keep your big mouth shut."

"H-hey!" That got the girl to poke her head out from behind the elder Hikari. "If you hadn't gotten yourself into trouble, then I wouldn't have to say anything!"

"Huh?" The younger Hikari seemed to have realized that he was missing something. "What do you mean? What happened?"

"Just after one of the matches, I saw him acting all suspicious!" Yaito explained. "He was with some shady suited men discussing something, so I followed him!" The girl glared at the white haired boy at that. "Turns out, he's a Net Police Officer investigating the WWW!"

"A Net Police Officer?" The younger Hikari raised an eyebrow.

"People who basically deal with and investigate net crime." Hub Hikari explained.

"I see!" Netto looked at the boy in question. "So that's why those WWW Navies were after you, too!" Then, he paused slightly at that. "But… How did you happen lose two of your Battle Chips, Enzan?"

Enzan didn't reply, but he did glare harder at Yaito, the girl blushing in embarrassment under his gaze.

"W-well… I might have- And I'm saying might!- Have sorta, maybe, accidentally…" Yaito trailed off briefly. "I-It was an honest mistake, al-alright?! I didn't mean to get us into trouble, okay?!"

Oh, so that's how. Netto grinned at the white haired boy. "Well, now that we've defeated Bomberman and Stoneman, we won't have anything else to worry about during the rest of the tournament, right?"

"Believe what you will." Enzan said as he made his way past the three friends. "I won't hold anything back in the next match."

"...Sheesh, this guy." Netto grumbled softly to himself as he watched the white haired boy leave. But then, as if an afterthought had struck him, he stopped abruptly.

"...WWW wasn't the only thing I was investigating during this tournament." Enzan said suddenly.

"Huh?" That got the three friends' attention.

"You don't need to know the details." Enzan told them. "...But there's been some certain NetNavies that have been popping up during each of WWW's attacks." At that, the white haired boy looked back at the three. "It is still unsure what their relationship with WWW is… But just be wary of any strange NetNavies that pop up, alright?" With that, he turned and left.

"...Huh." The younger Hikari was quiet for a moment, before he smiled. "So, he's not as distant as he seems, after all?"

His elder sibling, however, did not share his same sentiment.

' _A NetNavi that keeps on appearing during each of WWW's attacks?'_  Hub frowned slightly.  _'He couldn't have meant_ him _, could he…?"_


	41. Chapter 39 (Programme Advance)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: We needed to recreate a crime scene for a project and I got the role as one of the thugs. I tried to help everyone get in character by screaming "You want to start shit?" "Fuck you, you bitch!" and "Yeah that's right you little shit you better run!" but everyone still ended up laughing. It probably didn't help that I didn't sound intimidating at all.

"Mistress, is everything alright?"

Rockman was jolted out of his thoughts. He turned to the shadow Navi. "I'm fine, Shadowman."

"..." The Navi fell quiet for a moment, as if considering his words carefully before he spoke once more. "I am concerned for you, my Mistress."

That made Rockman pause. It was the first time Shadowman had outwardly expressed his concern for him. The blue Navi knew that it wasn't because the shadow Navi didn't care, but Shadowman had probably refrained from doing so out of fear that his sentiment may be mistaken as doubting the Master's ability- Something that wasn't taken very lightly and considered by many Undernet Navies to be an insult.

Shadowman then looked at what Rockman had been watching. Below them was the battle stage within the practise room systems; there were several of these rooms just outside of the Battle Dome for contestants to practise and brush up of their skills before the match. The rooms were mostly deserted by now, as the two contestants of the final match have already been decided, and the tournament had announced a break before the final match, probably to drum up more anticipation within the audience. However, that did not mean that the battle stage was completely empty.

True to his words, Hub Hikari had indeed lended his Battle Chips to his younger sibling after the semi-finals, and considering his competition, Netto Hikari appeared to have realized that if he wanted a chance to win the tournament, he would need to master Programme Advance so he could match Enzan and Blues blow for blow.

However, the practise wasn't going as planned.

"Darn it!"

Rockman watched as the Beta Sword flickered and vanished once more, his frown deepening. It appeared that Netto and X were having trouble drawing out the power of the Beta Sword. It could only mean that the operator and Navi weren't in sync enough to harness its powers, but…

That didn't make sense. He and Netto never had a problem performing Programme Advance in his original universe. He sighed as he wondered what could've happened to change that.

"That Netto Hikari and Rockman X have the right idea." Shadowman commented on the two's practise. "But without a strong enough motivator, it will take too long for them to successfully perform Programme Advance. They will not be able to master it in time for the final match."

"A strong enough motivator…?" The blur Navi mused over that for a moment, before it clicked.

Hadn't he and Netto accidentally triggered full syncro during their first fight with Blues and Enzan? The two's shared shock and rage when Blues had deleted the Normal Navi had unknowingly caused them to fully synchronize with each other. Now that he thought about it, the same thing had probably happened to Hub and Zero; both operator and NetNavi had probably felt a strong desire to protect their younger counterparts, the overwhelming influx of emotion triggering full synchronization which allowed them to pull off the Beta Sword Programme Advance of their first try.

But since he had Shadowman save that Normal Navi this time around…

...Oops.

The blue Navi slapped himself on his face, feeling slightly embarrassed for taking so long to figure out what the problem was. Well, what to do now? At this rate, Netto and Rockman X wouldn't be able to master Beta Sword in time. They wouldn't stand a chance against Blues and Enzan like that.

...Perhaps he should interfere? He's changed so much in this current timeline already, it wouldn't hurt to change things just a bit more, would it? Besides, Netto and X were supposed to have mastered full syncro at this point in time, so he technically wasn't changing anything by giving them a push in the right direction, was he?

"Shadowman."

"Yes, my Mistress?"

Rockman regarded Rockman X on the battle stage below them carefully. "Cut off all communications to this room for the time being, okay?"

"Of course, Mistress. I shall do as you ask."

* * *

"Damn it! It broke apart again…"

"I don't understand!" Netto Hikari groaned, clutching his forehead. "What're we not getting right? The timing? The posture?"

"I'm not sure…" Rockman X sighed. He was confused as well. "I guess this Programme Advance thing is harder than we both thought, huh…"

"There must be something we're missing!" The younger Hikari insisted. "Both Nii-san and that Enzan were able to do it! So what is it that they've done that we didn't?"

"It's because both Hub and Enzan were fully synchronized with their NetNavies."

Both operator and NetNavi jumped. Rockman X formed his hand into a buster and took aim at where the voice had come from. "Who is it? Show yourself!"

The two watched in surprise as a cloaked figure stepped onto the battle stage with Rockman X, the purple cloth masking most of the NetNavi's features, but the Navi's bright green eyes could still be seen from underneath his hood.

"My name is Mega. I'm here to help you enter full syncro."

"Full syncro…?" Rockman X relaxed slightly when it appeared the new comer was not hostile. "What's that?"

"Full syncro is the complete synchronization of a NetNavi as his operator." Mega helpfully explained. "Performing a Programme Advance requires a high level of synchronization between an operator and a Navi, so if you're able to enter full synchronization, you should have no problems performing Programme Advances in turn."

"Is that true?" Netto's eyes widened in shock and awe. "Then how would me and X enter full syncro?"

"It's very easy!" The cloaked Navi said as he stepped closer. "Here, let me show you."

In the next moment that followed, the younger Hikari had reacted entirely on instinct, slotting in a Barrier chip just as Mega brought a Long Sword down on Rockman X, the sword colliding with the barrier with a loud clank.

"Wh-what're you doing?!" Rockman X was stunned by the sudden change in events.

"Don't get me wrong." Mega smiled at the two. "But full syncro is most effectively achieved through strong emotions experienced by an operator and his Navi, and it wouldn't be authentic if there wasn't some sort of matter at stake, would it?"

* * *

"Zero, would you mind checking up on how Netto-kun and X are doing?" Hub took out his PET as he walked down the hallway. There was a short pause before he got his reply.

"I'm attempting to do just that, Hub-san, but…" Rockman Zero frowned. "Something appears to be jamming their signal."

"We can't reach them? That's weird..." The elder Hikari said as he sped up his pace. His younger sibling had gone directly to the training room after their encounter with Enzan, but he was still having trouble with performing a Programme Advance from what he saw. He had left shortly after to get some air outside of the Battle Dome, before deciding to check back on Netto's progress.

However, Zero's inability to contact the two worried him. He hoped it was just some sort of system malfunction, and not his younger sibling getting into trouble again.

As Hub Hikari reached the room, he gave the door a soft yank, and after making sure that the door had indeed said "pull", he yanked on the door harder.

The door was shut tight. It didn't move an inch.

"Zero, I'm going to plug you into the systems." Hub was now almost certainly sure that the signal jamming was intentional. "Once you get in, we have to find whoever's blocking access to the training room and stop them, alright?"

"I got it." His Navi nodded.

"Alright." He took out the PET's connector. "Plug in, Rockman Zero! Transmission!"

The red Navi logged into the system servers in a flash of bright light. It took him all but one glance to realize what the cause of the problem was.

"It's you!" Rockman Zero recognized the Navi standing in front of the control panel instantly. "You're that NetNavi from before!"

"So you're the one blocking access to the training room!" Hub Hikari quickly concluded.

"Hm. How very observant of you." The Navi merely crossed his arms, regarding the two of them carefully.

Zero shifted one of his arms into a sword. "Return the controls back to normal instantly!"

"I will not." The unknown Navi said. "I cannot allow the two of you to enter."

"What're you after?" Now that he thought about it, Hub was growing more and more certain that this was the NetNavi that Enzan had warned them about. "We always run into you whenever WWW's involved- Don't tell me they're behind this as well."

"I'll tell you what I told that brother of yours." The strange Navi narrowed his eyes. "I do not care about any WWW. I only carry out the orders of my Mistress."

Hub raised an eyebrow. Was that person this NetNavi's operator? "Who's that Mistress of yours?"

"You do not need to know that."

"Fine!" At that, Rockman Zero took a step closer. "If you're not going to tell us anything or return the systems back to normal, then we'll just have to beat you ourselves!"

The unknown Navi did not appear threatened by his words. He merely withdrew his own blade. "I have no intentions of hurting you." He said, observing Hub and Zero carefully. "But if you are to attack me, then I shall not hesitate to defend myself."


	42. Chapter 40

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I don't want to work on group projects anymore, but at least that one scene that happens after the final match is something I can look forward to.

Rockman wasn't just attacking at random. He was trying to provide just the right amount of challenge with the possibility of victory. It was theoretically possible for Netto and X to trigger full syncro through panic or desperation if he went hard enough on the two of them, but he didn't want to risk actually hurting the other Navi. Plus, that wasn't quite the impression he wanted to leave on them. But if he didn't provide the two of them with a good enough challenge, then… Well, that would defeat the purpose of this encounter.

"What are you waiting for?" Rockman asked them as he fired another shot from his buster. "Use the Programme Advance!"

"Then stop attacking us!" X yelled back at him as he ducked out of the way of his shot.

"Yeah! What's your deal?" The younger Hikari also decided to add in his two cents. "How're we supposed to concentrate if you're attacking us?"

"Netto-kun…" Rockman sighed, a strange whimsical feeling washing over him as he addressed the boy in that tone. "Don't tell me you honestly expect an enemy to stand still while you attack, do you?"

The brunette paused. He seemed to consider Rockman's words for a brief moment, before he realized something. "W-wait, you know me?"

"Of course I do." Rockman smiled. He knew so much about the Hikari boy. "I've been watching all of your matches up to this point. I know just how you and X fight." Taking a leap forward, Rockman summoned his Long Sword and deflected X's buster shots as the other Navi began to recover from his shock and defended himself.

X turned just in time to avoid Rockman as he thrusted his sword forward. "Are you sure this is the only way to trigger Full Syncro?"

"It isn't. But it's the most effective way." Rockman told him.

"I would've opted for the safer way." X grimaced. Aiming his charged buster at Rockman, he fired the shot, Rockman catching the shot easily within his hands- he'd gotten so used to using Serenade's ability that he could completely stop weaker projectile shots in their paths now.

"But that'll take too long." Rockman smiled. As he balled his hand into a fist, the energy palette flickering slightly. "Afterall, that's why you're practising Programme Advance, isn't it? So that you would have a chance against Blues and Enzan?" He flicked his hand, and the ball of energy exploded into a small puff of illuminate butterflies before it flickered out of existence completely.

X was briefly distracted by the display before he snapped back into awareness. "Alright fine. You got us." He said, his buster still trained at the cloaked Navi. "But why are you helping us? What're you after?"

"That doesn't matter." Rockman told him. Time to up the ante. "Let me tell you something." Rockman pointed to the clock display at the far end at the wall. "It's nearly time for the finale, isn't it?"

"That's…" At that, Netto looked towards the display as well. Damn it, he hadn't realized that so much time had passed already. "There's four minutes left..!"

"That's right. And you'll notice that the doors are locked, as well."

"Wh-what?!" The younger Hikari was visibly nervous now as he began to suspect what was happening. "Don't tell me you're keeping it closed!"

"I'm afraid so. And there's no other way out." Rockman told him. "But I'll consider unlocking them, if, let's say, you manage to defeat me."

"I figured." X frowned, gritting his teeth. "Fine, if you want to fight us that badly, then we won't hold back, either!"

"And don't think that you scare us!" Netto added. "There's no way me and X are backing down from a good challenge!"

There it was. That spark of fighting spirit that Netto was known for, and as fate would have it, it appeared that Rockman X shared the same spark as well. Rockman grinned at the two encouragingly. "Alright then, what're you waiting for? Take your shot."

"You asked for it!" The younger Hikari didn't hesitate to pull out a Battle Chip. "Attack Battle Chip; Vulcan! Slot in!"

Aiming his hand at the cloaked Navi, X fired multiple rapid shots at the other. Seeing this, Rockman remained oddly calm; he'd had enough practise at this point that he deflected each of the bullets back at the other Navi without so much as batting an eye. Startled by the turn of events, X nearly didn't react in time to dodge out of the way as each of his shots flew back towards him.

"How did you…!" The shock was obvious. Neither Netto or X had seen anything of the sort before.

"You won't be able to hit me with those kinds of attacks." Rockman just said. "You'll need something a lot more powerful than that to work." The bait was so very obvious. In fact, Rockman's entire plan hinged of the two operator and Navi to take his bait. "Two minutes left."

"...We can't afford to fail now, not when we've come this far." The brunette narrowed his eyes. "X, let's do it!"

"Right!" His NetNavi nodded. "There's no way we're backing down now!"

"Programme Advance!" Netto signaled as he took out the three corresponding chips. "Attack Battle Chip; Sword! Slot in!"

There it was, Rockman realized. Both the operator and NetNavi were sharing the same will and emotion, but he still needed to give them another push. Quietly, he transforming his hand into a buster and began charging it.

"Attack Battle Chip; Wide Sword! Slot in!" Raising his other arm, X shifted it into the Wide Sword, but Rockman continued to withhold his own attack. He had to wait for the exact moment to strike.

Netto Hikari took out the final chip. "Attack Battle Chip; Long Sword! Slot in!"

' _Now!'_

Seeing the moment he was waiting for, Rockman took aim and fired, just as X brought the two swords over his head. He got the effect he had hoped for immediately; With the potential threat of the oncoming danger, Rockman could actually sense the sudden spike in synchronization triggered by the sheer will to overcome any obstacle.

In a bright flash of light, the solid form of the Beta Sword manifested itself in X's hands, the Navi grabbing and swinging it without so much of a second thought. "Beta Sword!"

From the blade, a huge wave of energy was produced, slicing through Rockman's previous shot before speeding towards him, the blue Navi overwhelmed with a sense of pride and accomplishment before he realized, a bit belatedly, that perhaps he should do something about the Programme Advance that was not directly in front of him.

Quickly and slightly panicked, he raised both his hands. Without thinking, he pushed the wave of energy _upwards,_ and the attack changed directions instantly, shooting upwards and missing Rockman by inches before it exploded as it collided with the ceiling, the entire battle stage rumbling in its wake.

"Th-that was a Programme Advance!" X had exclaimed once the area had quieted down. "Netto-kun, we've done it!"

"I saw!" Netto was grinning as well. "That was awesome! So that's what performing a Programme Advance is like!"

Behind them, Rockman quietly observed the two. Though the blue Navi was indeed proud at the two's ability to use a Programme Advance, he couldn't quite stop the hint of sadness that washed through him at the scene- That used to be him and Netto.

' _Navi and operator synchronization is at 98.02%...'_ Rockman mused silently to himself. _'...I suppose that's as high as it'll go for now.'_

Pushing that thought to the side, Rockman initiated an audio call with Shadowman. "Shadowman, release the locks. We're done here."

Both Netto and X looked up when they heard the door unlock with a soft click. "You've unlocked the doors?" Netto looked at him with a surprised expression.

"I never meant any harm." Rockman told him. "I said I've wanted to help you with Programme Advance, didn't I?"

X was still appeared cautious about him, but Rockman supposed it was understandable. "...I'm still not sure about who you are, but… Thanks. You've really helped us out a lot."

Rockman was stunned for a brief moment, before he smiled back brightly. "You're very welcome. Now don't you have a match coming up?"

"Ah! Th-that's right!" The two of them only had moments to get to the Battle Dome now. Netto plugged his NetNavi out from the systems. "Come on, X! Let's go!" Flinging the door open, he took a running start out of the room, and immediately ran into his elder sibling. "Owch!"

"Netto-kun!" Hub sounded unusually worried. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, Nii-san!" Nett took a second to steady himself. "I'm heading over to the finals now! Remember to cheer me on, okay?" With that, the younger of the two sped down the hallways.

"Netto! W-wait!" The elder Hikari attempted to stop him, but his younger sibling was already nowhere to be seen. Frowning, Hub sighed quietly to himself.

"That Navi… disappeared suddenly just like that…" Hub mumbled. "And we still don't know what he's after, and what happened inside when we were locked out…"

"That's true, but the important thing is that Netto was unharmed." Zero said from his PET. "He appeared fine when he exited the room. As for what had happened, we could always ask him after their match."

"Yeah. I suppose you're right." Hub agreed. "Alright, we'll do just that."


	43. Chapter 41 (N1 Grand Prix: Finale)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry guys, no porn. I just want to get the N1 Grand Prix done and over at this point. I promise you'll get an entire chapter full of porn after I wrap up the entire tournament, okay? Okay, here we go.

"Finally, the long awaited finale of the N1 Grand Prix is about to begin! Is eve

ryone excited for the grand finale?" Kiro grinned as a loud cheer sounded throughout the Battle Dome. "Among the hundreds of participants that have joined the tournament, our final two contestants have risen over the competition against all odds, and are about to compete in an all or nothing net battle to determine who the winner of the N1 Grand Prix will be!"

"I'm surprised they made it this far." Forte idly said. Rockman was sitting next to him as the two NetNavies watched the scene play out from above.

"Hm." The blue Navi didn't bother to hide his pride for Netto and Rockman X. "I told you that there's something special about them, didn't I?"

The dark Navi glanced at him briefly. "And by something special, you mean they have you pulling strings for them from behind the scenes?"

"Hey! I was just leveling the playing field!" Rockman was quick to defend himself. "You saw what some of those WWW operators tried to do to them, didn't you? There was no way I could allow that."

Forte sighed and fell quiet for a brief moment, as if he was considering how best to put his thoughts into words.

"You can't protect them forever, Mega. Sooner or later, they're going to have to learn how to deal with people who use petty tricks against them themselves."

"I can watch over them until they're strong enough that tricks won't work on them."

"And what if they encounter someone who's just simply stronger than they are?" At that, Forte cast a quick glance in Enzan and Blues' direction. "You can't fight all their battles for them, can you?"

"...I'm not trying to." Rockman said, his look determined.

"Hm?"

"They'll grow strong enough to overcome any obstacle on their own, I just know it." Rockman elaborated, meeting Forte's gaze. "I'm just… I'm just protecting them, until then."

He could tell that Forte wasn't convinced, but the dark Navi didn't push the matter any further.

"And here they come!" Kiro exclaimed as Netto and Enzan stepped onto the stage. "The final match pits Netto Hikari and his NetNavi, Rockman X, against Enzan Ijuuin and his NetNavi, Blues!"

"...So, this is it." Netto grinned as he neared the Battle Sphere. "I can't wait to battle with you and Blues again; Me and X have been training, so there's no way we'll lose this time!"

"...So you say." Enzan didn't look impressed in the slightest. "If anything, I'll commend you on being extremely lucky- That's how you've managed to win all of your matches up till this point." Then, Enzan's expression changed. He had a slightly menacing look in his eyes. "But that's as far as you go. I'll delete your Navi and win this tournament."

"Heh, that's what you think!" Netto was no longer fazed by the other boy's cold demeanor, apparently having gotten used to and expecting it during their brief moments of interaction. "Let's show them what we've got, X!" Taking his PET out, Netto plugged his NetNavi into the Battle Sphere. Opposite of him, at the other side of the Battle Sphere, Enzan's eyes narrowed as he did the same. "Plug in-"

"Rockman X!"

"Blues!"

"Transmission!"

In a flash of red and blue, the two NetNavies entered into the battle stage facing each other, the crowd growing wild with anticipation.

"You're strong, Blues." Rockman X offered a smile. "But Netto-kun and I have grown stronger as well. You won't be beating us so easily."

"..." For a moment, it appeared the red Navi would not say anything. "It doesn't matter how strong you have gotten. I'll delete you all the same."

"Final battle, start!"

As soon as the words were spoken, Blues charged at X immediately, his hand formed into a sword. But the blue Navi had gotten faster- he could see Blues approaching him this time around. Ducking out of the way of Blues' attack, Rockman X turned his own arm into a buster and took a shot at his opponent, the red Navi managing to deflect his shot, but appeared surprise that X had reacted in time like he had.

"...Huh. This shall be interesting." Blues commented, before he resumed his attacks with more ferocity than before.

"We won't just let you have the upper hand like that!" Netto yelled, taking out a Battle Chip. "Battle Chip; Area Steal! Slot in!"

Rockman X disappeared entirely as Blues slashed his sword at him. Enzan visibly scowled in annoyance. "You're just delaying the inevitable." He said to the younger boy. "No matter how far you run, Blues will catch up to you."

"Who said we were running away?" The younger Hikari smiled back. Then, Rockman X reappeared in the air above the battle stage. Netto proceeded to take out several more Battle Chips. "Attack Battle Chip; Mini Bomb! Slot in!"

Still airborn, X began to throw bomb after bomb at his opponent below him, the red Navi only able to either dodge out of the way or deflect the bombs as he was unable to levitate. The entire area was completely filled with dust and smoke clouds once X had landed back onto the ground.

"...Hmph. You've definitely gotten stronger…" Enzan was more mumbling to himself, before he raised his voice. "But that doesn't matter- There's no way I'll lose!" The white haired boy took out one of his own Battle Chips. "Attack Battle Chip; Paladin Sword! Slot in!"

A gust of wind unveiled the smoke covering the battle stage with the swing of a sword. As his target was revealed, Blues raised the Paladin Sword and prepared to strike down his opponent.

"Me and X won't lose to you, either!" Netto yelled back at the other boy. "Attack Battle Chip; Z-Saber! Slot in!"

In a bright flash of light, X had countered Blues' sword attack with his Z-Saber, a loud clash sounding throughout the entire area as the two attacks collided.

"...I see. So he's lent you his Battle Chips." Enzan realized. He'd pay enough attention to know that the Battle Chip Netto was currently using belonged to his elder sibling. "...Then that means you must be practising Programme Advance for this final battle." The younger Hikari had never showed to have any sword type chips, but Enzan knew for a fact that the elder Hikari had the chips necessary to perform the Programme Advance for Beta Sword.

"Aww! You got us!" There was a hint of a whine in Netto's voice. "I was hoping we'd surprise you with that!"

"Tch. Then I suppose there's no reason for me to hold back anymore." Enzan said, taking out three familiar chips. "We'll see which of our Programme Advance is the stronger one!"

"Heh, X and I aren't back down from a good challenge!" The Hikari boy glanced briefly at his NetNavi at that. "You ready, X?"

Smiling, the blue Navi nodded. "I'm ready- Let's do this!"

As the two Navies leapt apart from each other on the battle stage, the two operators prepared for the final attack. "Programme Advance!"

"Sword!" As Netto slotted the first chip in, Rockman X raised his hand, reforming the Z-Saber into a sword.

"Wide Sword!" Blues raised his other arm, swiftly forming it into the Wide Sword.

"Long Sword!" The two Navies raised both their swords above their heads, a bright light illuminating the entire Battle Sphere as two completely new swords were formed from the three sword type chips. As the Programme Advance manifested, both Navies took hold of the sword in sync, and charged towards each other. "Beta Sword!"

X and Blues swung their swords at each other, and as the two Programme Advances collided, a bright light shone from the Battle Sphere, encasing the entire Battle Dome in a bright light.

"Ah! Wh-what's happening?" Kiro was alarmed. "What's that bright light coming from the Battle Sphere?"

"That's the result of the force of two Programme Advances colliding with each other…!" Higgory was in awe. "It's… It's beautiful…! I've never seen anything like this before!"

Within the Battle Sphere, the two red and blue Navies were still engaged in battle, each matching the other blow for blow. The sounds of the two Beta Swords clashing repeatedly against each other could be heard within the entire Battle Dome.

"This isn't just a battle of strength anymore!" Higgory continued, obviously mesmerized by the scene before him. "It's also a battle of their will and determination! This is incredible!"

The bright light encased the Battle Dome for several moments more, before it gradually began to fade, the singular form of a standing figure making itself visible within the fading light.

"It appears we have a winner!" Kiro announced, squinting to get a better look at the standing figure within the Battle Sphere. "The winners of this watch, and of the N1 Grand Prix, is Enzan Ijuuin and Blues!"

The loud roar or cheers from the audience was deafening, but Netto couldn't hear any of it. "X? X! Are you alright?!"

Hearing his operator's voice, the Navi let out a small groan from where he had collapsed onto the ground. "N-Netto…?"

"X!" The Hikari smiled, sighing in relief. "Thank goodness, you're okay!"

"Y-yeah." His NetNavi coughed softly. "I'm… I'm sorry, about the match… I just-"

"Don't say things like that!" Netto interrupted him. "We went into the battle with everything we've got- That's all I can ever want!"

"Netto-kun…!" Rockman X was stunned for a brief moment, before he smiled as well. "...That's right. We'll definitely get them next time."

"Definitely!" Netto nodded in agreement.

There was a moment of silence, before X heard the approaching sounds of footsteps. Looking up, he realized that Blues had knelt over and was offering him his hand.

"...This doesn't make us friends." The red Navi apparently felt the need to clarify. "But I know a worthy opponent when I see one."

"...They've definitely surprised me by how much they've improved since the last time we've battled…" Enzan was mumbling quietly to himself. He thought he would have crushed the other boy's spirit with that devastating defeat, but he had obviously underestimated his will.

And there was also that NetNavi of his. The way that Rockman X and Netto Hikari had interacted with such trust and… kinship? "...I'm almost jealous."

As Blues helped Rockman X to his feet, the two NetNavies met each other's gaze.

"...We'll definitely be stronger the next time we battle." Rockman X told him. "So don't think you'll be beating us next time, okay?"

"...Hmph." That was the only response he got from the red Navi.

Then, before anything else could have happened, a tremendous shock had jolted the entire Battle Dome.


	44. Chapter 42

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: My Mom asked if I wanted to go traveling for the holidays and my answer was "Lol no." For one, I don't even like traveling, and two, I don't hate my mom, but everytime we travel we just end up arguing, which sort of defeats the purpose of traveling and having a holiday in the first place. So yeah, I'll pass.

"Wh-what was that?" Netto wondered, slightly startled after he caught himself. The sudden jolt and nearly knocked him off his feet. However, as it appeared, that was the least of his problems. The entire area was now shaking and rumbling. "Is the Battle Dome falling apart?!"

"The Battle Dome is built over water…" Rockman X quickly realized something. "If it collapses, then we'll all fall into the ocean!"

"This is an emergency! It seems some of the major support beams of the Battle Dome have been damaged- The tournament arena is in threat of collapsing completely!" Kiro spoke out from the announcement stand once one of the staff had finished explaining the situation to her. "Everyone, please follow the staff directions and evacuate the Battle Dome immediately- Huh?" The was a gasp when the announcer noticed something. "W-wait a minute! Someone else seems to have entered the Battle Sphere!"

Inside of the Battle Sphere, X and Blues appeared to have realized this as well, and as the two Navies looked up, the look of recognition flashed through their eyes.

"It's you!" X identified the floating NetNavi as the one he had met just prior to the match; It was a bit difficult to forget the Navi's purple cloak and green eyes. Then, he paused briefly when he realized that Blues had echoed his statement completely.

"You know that Navi?" It was Enzan's turn to sound surprised as he looked at Netto.

"Not personally- But we've met?" The sudden seriousness in the situation made the younger Hikari felt as if he'd been caught doing something he wasn't supposed to.

"I-impossible!" The two boys turned their attention to the voice from the announcer's stand- This time, it was Higgory, and he sounded completely in shock. "Th-that NetNavi! Could it be…!"

"What do you mean?" Kiro was obviously confused. "Higgory, you recognize that NetNavi?"

"In the years I've spent searching for rare Battle Chips, I've assessed the Undernet multiple times on several occasions." Higgory appeared to grow stern as he quickly explained. "There are many rumors circulating around the Undernet, about certain NetNavies so powerful, that the scale of their strength could not be measured…" The Battle Chip trader stopped briefly- He was shaking. "...But given the circumstances, I believe our mysterious NetNavi is the fabled Blue Myth."

"Undernet NetNavies? Blue Myth?" Kiro was mostly confused, but the seriousness of Higgory's tone also worried her. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"You don't understand!" Higgory yelled, frantic. "The Blue Myth- She attracts disasters whenever she appears!"

"Attracting disasters?" There was a hint of suspicion in Kiro's voice, but she still hadn't quite made the connection that Higgory had just yet.

"There's one of the more prominent tales I've heard of her being circulated around the Undernet when I first heard of her. It was when she was first seen appearing in an Undernet village…" The man swallowed at that. "...Not a moment later, a gigantic cyclone had tore through the entire area, nearly ripping the entire village from the ground and destroying half of it in its wake…"

"Don't tell me-" Kiro had finally made the connection that Higgory was hinting at. "Don't tell me that the Battle Dome collapsing is because of…!"

Just then, another loud crack and rumble sounded out through the Battle Dome, and screams coming from the audience could be heard as the arena bagan to shake even more violently than before.

"No time to think about that now!" Higgory quickly realized. He grabbed the reporter by her wrist as the two ran to safety. "Let's get out of here!"

* * *

 

Internally, Rockman was beating himself up.

The blue Navi had lost his footing when the first, initial shock had occurred, which had caused him to fall into the Battle Dome below. While he did catch himself mid-air through levitating, in hindsight, he supposed he should have known that nothing was more incriminating that being seen floating down nonchalantly into complete chaos.

Gosh darn it.

"I knew you'd show up, sooner or later." Blues had wasted no time in pointing his sword at him. Rockman winced slightly at the red Navi's accusing tone.

"Is it true?" Rockman quickly looked at X, realizing that the other Navi had his buster trained on him as well. "That you're causing the collapse of the Battle Dome?"

"..."

Rockman really wanted to say 'no', but he doubted anyone would believe him at this point. It would probably get him into more trouble than he already was in.

X however, seemed to have taken his silence for admission. "Why are you doing this? Stop it right now!"

"There's no reasoning with Undernet Navies!" Blues had apparently taken his distraction as an opportunity to charge him. "Take this!"

While Blues was undeniably strong, considering how early in the timeline Rockman still was, he realized he had the unfair advantage of being more experience than Blues currently was. That and the red Navi had just come out from an extremely hectic battle and had not fully recovered yet. Not wanting to accidentally hurt the other, Rockman opted to just summon his Long Sword and deflect Blues' attack, the two swords creating a loud clank as they collided.

"Blues!" X had apparently taken that as his sign to attack. He quickly took aim and fired a charged shot at Rockman, the cloaked Navi pushing Blues out of the way and reflecting the shot without thinking, causing it to explode at X's feet and sent him flying backwards.

Rockman winced. Was there anyway he could possibly make himself less incriminating at this point?

"Plug out!" Enzan yelled at Netto on the other side of the Battle Sphere. "Your NetNavi's damaged! There's no way you can continue to fight like that!"

"And leave you and Blues to face that Navi alone by yourselves? No way!" Netto shot back, taking out a Battle Chip. "Attack Battle Chip; Vulcan! Slot in!"

As he stood up, X aimed at Rockman, his buster turning into a Vulcan before firing multiple rapid shots at him. At the same time, Blues had also recovered, and attempted to make another charge at him. Rockman did the only thing he could think of- Catching all of X's Vulcan shots before they could hit him, he redirected them all towards Blues. Having witnessed what Rockman had done to X's shot prior, the red Navi was not completely caught off guard, but he was still forced to leap away to avoid being hit by the redirected attack.

' _Plug out. Please plug out. Oh my god. Please just plug out.'_

"Your cheap shots won't work on me!" Blues yelled at him as he prepared for another attack. Raising his other arm, the red Navi formed it into a Paladin Sword as his operator sent him the chip data. Leaping at Rockman once more, he attempted to strike the cloaked Navi down, but the form of another figure flashed in front of him and slashed him through his chest before he could pull his attack off, the red Navi collapsing onto the ground shortly after.

"I told you I would make you pay if you attempted to harm my Mistress." Shadowman told the downed Navi.

"Blues! Plug out!" The white haired boy had disconnected his PET's cable from the Battle Sphere, preventing his NetNavi from being deleted from extensive damage. Then, he turned to Netto. "Hikari! Plug X out now- There's no way you'll survive against the both of them!"

Seeing this, Rockman finally decided to speak up as well. He turned to X. "Plug out, X."

X seemed to be startled by the cloaked Navi finally breaking his silence. "What?"

"When the Battle Dome collapses, the Battle Sphere will also be destroyed." Rockman explained. "If you don't plug out by then, you'll be deleted as well."

"Then stop it!" X was frantic. "You're causing the Battle Dome to collapse, then you can stop it, can you?"

"..." Rockman sighed. It doesn't appear like he was talking himself out of this one. "...I can't."

X gritted his teeth, raising his buster at him once more. "...Then I'll just have to stop you myself!" He fired a charged shot at the cloaked Navi, but Shadowman reacted, deflecting the shot entirely long before it could hit its intended target. Then, summoning a Shuriken, he threw it at X, the attached programme forcing a plug out as it hit the NetNavi. After that, he turned to the two boys still standing at the Battle Sphere.

"Your NetNavies have been dealt with. As for you two…" The shadow Navi clasped his hands together, before he muttered something. "...Mekakushi no Jutsu!"

A bright flash of light shone out from the Battle Sphere, blinding the two boys as everything faded away into the light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I don't actually know Japanese. It's all google translated. Sorry guys.


	45. Chapter 43 (N1 Grand Prix: Aftermath)

"...tto-kun! Netto-kun!"

"Ah!" The brunette jerked awake in an instant. As he woke, he quickly realized that he wasn't in any place he recognized. He looked around in an attempt to find clues as to where he might be.

"Netto-kun! Over here!"

The boy turned to the source of the sound. His PET was placed on the table besides him. Reaching over, he picked up his PET. "X! What happened? Where am I?"

"You were knocked out by that flash of light, and the Battle Dome sank into the ocean completely." X explained to his operator. "The doctors checked you for any injuries while you were unconscious, but they said there wasn't anything serious."

"The doctors?" Netto blinked. "Then that means I'm in the hospital?"

"Yes. You're in SeaSide Hospital." The Navi inside his PET nodded. "I think Hub's just outside, in the lobby, and Mom's coming over to pick us up right now. We should be able to leave then." At this, the NetNavi smiled. "I'm glad you weren't hurt, Netto-kun. I was so worried."

"Ah, sorry!" Netto laughed, a bit embarrassed. "But I'm fine, see?" He raised his free hand, giving the other a thumbs up. "Besides, it'll take much more than that to bring me down!"

"Is that what you truly believe?"

The new voice startled both the operator and his NetNavi. Looking up from his PET, Netto realized the display screen opposite of his bed had been turned on, and the NetNavi staring back at the two of them was one that he definitely recognized.

"You again…" The younger Hikari frowned, clutching his PET tighter. "...We keep running into you, but we still have no idea who you are…"

"..." For a moment, the boy wasn't sure if the strange NetNavi would answer him, so he was surprised when the Navi replied. "My name is Shadowman."

"Shadowman, huh?"

"I don't suppose you'll also be telling us about your involvement in sinking the Battle Dome?" Rockman X spoke out from his PET.

"What involvement?" Shadowman snorted. "It would appear to me that you do not have any proof of that other than some arbitrary rumor about my Mistress."

X remained strangely silent, then, he appeared to have realized something. "So, that other Navi was your Mistress you kept talking about."

"Oh yeah, that NetNavi…" Netto hummed, biting one of his nails in thought. "What was her name again? The Blue Moth…?"

"It's the Blue Myth, Netto-kun."

The boy blushed. "I knew that!"

"Hmph." Shadowman narrowed his eyes. "If I were to be completely honest, I still haven't the slightest clue why the Mistress holds you two in such high regards."

"Wh-what?" Shadowman's words confused the younger Hikari greatly. "What do you mean?"

"Do you honestly believe it was purely the work of good fortune that you managed to survive each of WWW's attacks?" The shadow Navi asked him. "And those incidents during the tournament- do you believe it to be luck that you made through them relatively unharmed?"

"...What are you trying to say?" Rockman X couldn't deny the truth in the other NetNavi's words; Now that he thought about it, too many things just seemed too… convenient. The anonymous message at Waterworks, Shadowman's interference during Hub and Maylu's tag team battle, and the fact that Hub and Netto had managed to locate them so quickly when they were pulled from the Battle Sphere into the lighthouse system…

"...I will admit, when the Mistress first told me that you two were special, I was nothing if not skeptical." Shadowman told them. "However, after witnessing your final battle…" The shadow Navi paused briefly, as if he was considering something. "...Perhaps that is what the Mistress sees in you two…?"

"That's it! Can you stop being so mysterious and tell us what you want already?" The brunette had had enough of the shadow Navi's suspense.

"Rash and impatient as always." Shadowman narrowed his eyes. "I want to see just how powerful the two of you can become."

"What?" It was X's turn to be confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean exactly what I just said." As he spoke, Netto's PET beeped as a notification popped up.

"It's an image file!" Rockman X realized.

"You will find the power you seek following this map." Shadowman told the two of them. "...However, whether you are able to achieve this power will depend entirely on yourselves." Then, after he had finished, the shadow Navi added, as if an afterthought. "I must warn you, however. The path that leads to it it filled with dangers and uncertainty. If you are not fully prepared, then you shall surely meet your demise."

"Shadowman…!" Netto was unsure of what to say for a brief moment. "... Heh, you're as bad as you make yourself out to be, you know?" Then, the boy grinned. "You don't have to worry about us! As long as me and X got each other, we can overcome anything!"

"Tch! You-" Even Shadowman was taken aback by the younger Hikari's response; the trust and faith that the two operator and Navi had for each other remained something the Undernet Navi found hard to get used to. "Incompetent fools! Do not take my words lightly!" Then, as he regained his composure, Shadowman spoke calmly once more. "...I shall be watching the two of you from the sidelines. Try not to do something too foolish- I would hate to explain myself to the Mistress if something bad were to happen to the both of you."

With that, Shadowman cut off the video feed to the display screen, sighing internally. _'Those two… They're quite the handful, aren't they…'_

As the shadow Navi was making his way out of the hospital systems, he noticed that there appeared to be an unusual amount of Programmes and NetNavies inside of the hospital computers.

' _I suppose I should not be too surprised. Quite a few humans have gotten injured when the Battle Dome collapse.'_

Then, out of the corner of his eye, Shadowman noticed something. The Undernet Navi had been uncertain if he had saw what he had at first glance, but as he turned his gaze directly at the passing Navi that had caught his attention, the shadow Navi still couldn't quite suppress the shock he felt when he made out the distinctive features of the Navi.

' _This cannot be! Out of all the places, here…?'_

Then, just as quickly as the NetNavi had appeared, the Navi had logged out of the computer systems, most likely having returned to his PET. Shadowman took a moment to gather himself, quickly recovering from his initial shock.

' _...This is astonishing.'_ Shadowman thought to himself, eyes narrowing. _'The Mistress must know about this immediately.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: And that's it for the N1 Grand Prix part of the story! Thanks for sticking with me, and as I promised, the next chapter will be entirely NSFW. Thanks guys. Many thanks.


	46. Chapter 44 (H)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I wanted to be productive today but ended up getting so sick that I couldn't get out of bed. Anyways, there's like a feminization and impregnation kink in this so depending on that you may or may not want to read this chapter.

"...Mega?"

The blue Navi let out a small sound. He was laying face down on the sleep cycle station. "No."

"..." Forte quietly placed his hand at the back of his head. "You can't be hung up about that forever."

"Fooorte!" Rockman whined, attempting to swat the other's hand away. "Did you hear what they said about me?"

The dark Navi took Rockman's wrist in his hands. When the first shock had rumbled through the Battle Dome, Forte hadn't been quick enough to grab hold of the other NetNavi as he fell. Knowing that his appearance would only serve to add more fuel to the flames, the dark navi had opted to stay hidden once he realized that Rockman was in no threat of any real danger. "If it makes you feel any better, I didn't believe a word he said."

Rockman couldn't quite stop the snort of laughter that escaped him. He turned his head, looking up at the other Navi. "Thanks, Forte. You just know how to make me feel all better." He said, half-sarcastically.

"You're very welcome." Forte told him with the same amount of sarcasm, kissing the palm of his hand. Rockman jerked his hand back.

"I still don't know why the Battle Dome collapse, though." The blue Navi sat up, hugging his knees. "I mean, obviously I didn't do it. But I have no idea what did…"

"I was thinking about that, too." Forte appeared genuinely lost as well. "If it wasn't an accident, then however had caused it probably wanted a lot of people injured."

Rockman blinked. He hadn't considered the possibility of the collapse to be an accident. "You think it might have been an accident?"

"It's possible. Especially considering the scale of the final battle." Forte shrugged. "It might not have been anything too out of the ordinary for us, but many surface Navies or humans have not even witnessed a Programme Advance being performed, let alone two at the same time. Keeping that in mind, it's very possible the Battle dome wasn't designed to sustain that sort of power within the Battle Sphere, and might have collapsed as a result."

Rockman fell quiet for a moment after hearing the other's explanation. It made sense, didn't it? But… "But why did they have to make up all those things about me? I didn't do any of it!"

Forte chuckled, cupping the side of Rockman's cheek with one of his hands. "That's just how the Undernet is, especially with your sparse appearances. It wouldn't surprise me some Undernet NetNavies would take the liberty to make certain things up to fill in the blanks."

Rockman unconsciously leaned into Forte's hand. "...I guess you're right. But I still can't believe they think that I'm… I'm…" He blushed, trailing off.

"Hn." The dark Nai smiled. "Again, if it makes you feel better, I don't care if you're just Mega or Mega-chan."

Rockman tensed, his eyes wide as he jerked back slightly, his face completely red at this point. "Don't… don't say that."

"Say what?" Forte sounded confused for a brief second, before he must have realized something. Climbing onto the sleep cycle station to lean over the smaller Navi, he leered down at him. "What is it? Don't you like it when I say your name, Mega-chan?"

Rockman felt a shiver go down his spine. The blue Navi attempted to get out from under the other Navi by crawling backwards, but was quickly grabbed by his waist. "Forte!"

"Hm?" The other Navi pulled him until he was laying flat on his back. "Are you shy?"

The blue Navi was shaking, not quite understanding what was happening. This was no different from all of the other times Forte had asked him for sex, but…

Normally, he would fight back. There would be a brief moment of half-hearted protest before he allowed the other Navi to continue. But he found himself just laying quietly underneath the larger Navi, the Submissive inside of him stirring with an unusual amount of shyness and obedience. His breath hitched as Forte leaned in for a kiss; he had expected the other to be forceful, to hold him in place as he struggled, but he was surprised when all the other did was to place a quick, chaste kiss on his lips.

Forte was being unusually gentle with him, and that somehow made him felt both relaxed and nervous at the same time; Relaxed enough to not struggle against whatever the other Navi was doing, but not nearly reassured enough to not feel the hint of excitement and anticipation of what the other Navi was about to do, the combination on which only contributed to his shyness and embarrassment.

"Poor thing, you're shaking so nervously." Forte brushed a thumb across his cheek. "Don't worry. I'll take such good care of you." At that, he leaned in closer. "I'm gonna make my princess feel like a queen."

Rockman's breath hitched, but he remained mostly still as Forte began to strip him, gasping softly as the dark Navi clasped one of his hands over his chest.

"I love your breasts, Mega-chan." Forte said, squeezing. "They're just the right size to fit into my palm nicely."

"F-Forte!" Rockman writhed. The other Navi's words made him embarrassed, but causing the Submissive in him to purr in delight, pleased at whatever compliment his Dominant had offered him- He wasn't sure whether he should stop or ask for more.

"Hn." Forte appeared to be pondering something as he rubbed his thumb up against one of Rockman's nipples, the action drawing out a long whine from the smaller NetNavi. "Remember when you said you wanted to carry my child, Mega-chan?"

That got a reaction out of the blue Navi almost instantly. Rockman's eyes snapped wide open, his pupils dilated with want and desire. He remembered. He remembered every single detail.

"Yes." Rockman breathed, unsure if it was himself or the Submissive inside of him that was speaking. "I, I want…" His lips quivered, still unable to say what he truly wanted.

Fortunately, it didn't appear Forte wanted to tease him too much this time. "Don't worry. I'll get to that now."

The blue Navi allowed himself to be moved so that Forte was settled in between his legs, slightly uncertain of where to look once he felt the other push up against him. His entire body was shaking with anticipation.

"I'm going to fill you with my offspring." Forte told him softly, the blue Navi gasped as he felt the tip pushing in. "Would you like that?"

Rockman nodded, the Submissive in him chanting _'yes'_ over and over again. Clinging onto the larger Navi, he attempted to buck his hips against the other, taking more of Forte's length inside of him. "I, I want it." He said, resting his head on the other's shoulder, somewhat glad that Forte couldn't see his blush.

"Alright then." Grinning, the dark Navi took ahold of his waist. "I'll make sure you're full before we're through."

With that, Forte bucked his hips forward, pushing his entire length in with a single thrust. Rockman let out a sharp cry as his insides were spread wide, clutching and shivering desperately as he clung tighter onto the Navi above him. "A-ah…!"

"You're still so tight inside of there, Mega-chan." Forte breathed against his ear as he set a steady pace, bucking softly into the smaller Navi underneath him, drawing out small whines and whimpers with every thrust. "Your pussy is clutching me so tightly. It's as if it wants to pull me even deeper in there." At that, Forte angled his thrusts, the tip of his length nudging against _there_.

"Ahn!" Rockman's entire body tensed up as that innermost sensitive spot of him was poked at. He was quivering with nervousness when Forte was inevitable ram himself against that spot within him repeatedly, but the Submissive part of him was growing impatient; It knew that was the place that his Dominant would mark him, pouring his seed deep inside of him and getting him fat-

Unknowingly, Rockman bucked his hips against the other once more, his forwardness seemed to have surprised Forte as he faltered in his pace slightly. "Mega…?"

"F-Forte, please…" The blue Navi trailed off briefly, knowing what he wanted, but unable to vocalize it. He clinged desperately onto the Navi above him. "I-I want…!"

It didn't take Forte long to realize what he meant. He grinned. "...Alright, I won't make you wait any longer."

Rockman felt the other's grip on his waist tighten briefly, before Forte had withdrew himself nearly completely and slammed back in. The blue Navi keened loudly, his insides clutching and and shuddering at the sudden rough treatment, but the Submissive side of him was absolutely screaming in joy- It was getting exactly what it wanted. For the following moments, Rockman could only let out sharp cries of pleasure as his insides were repeated stretched and forced apart, while that small opening in there was thrusted into over and over-

"Any time now." Sensing that he was close, Forte leaned down to whisper into his ear. "I'm going to pour myself deep inside of you. Your body's going to accept and take in my seed and you'll be carrying my child inside of you before long."

"For-Forte!" Rockman gasped, his soft insides quivering in unadulterated pleasure. His entire body shaking at this point as Forte continued to ram into him with such force and precision while maintaining his quick pace.

"Your belly's going to get so fat with my kid in there." Forte continued, edging him on. "You're going to be such a good mother too- Isn't that right, Mega-chan? You'll make sure that my kid's well fed and taken care of?" At that, Forte turned his head, kissing the smaller Navi softly. "I can't wait for you to have my offspring, Mega."

That was enough to push Rockman over the edge, the blue Navi crying and whimpering incoherently as he came. He sobbed and clawed at Forte's back when the other Navi didn't relent in his pace as he attempted to force that inner entrance inside of the smaller Navi wide open. "Forte- Forte!"

"I'm almost there." Forte attempted to hush him. "I'm so close- You'll be good and take all of me inside of there, won't you?"

Rockman let out something in between a whine and a sob. He couldn't speak, but the Submissive part of him was screaming _'yes'_ , his insides clutching and shivering with anticipation. With one final jerk, the dark Navi snarled and released himself deep inside of the smaller Navi. Rockman's mind went blank as he felt the familiar warmth flooding him, his entire body still quivering in the aftermath of his orgasm.

It took Rockman longer than usual to come down from his high, but once Forte had felt that he had regained himself, he gently nudged the smaller Navi. "...If I know you'd get so riled up from this alone, I would've done this so many times before."

Snapping back to awareness, the blue Navi sniffed softly. "Forte… You know that NetNavies can't actually get pregnant, right? Even if I… I…" The blue Navi trailed off once more, but Forte seemed to have understood what he was implying by his quick glance downwards.

"You don't know that." The dark Navi said, kissing him once more. "I heard most pregnancies are a surprise, anyways."

Rockman's breath hitched. His body tensed as he suspected what the other was trying to do. "Forte, don't-"

"Maybe if we tried again now, we'd have twins."

Rockman blushed a deep shade of red. "Forte! That's not how pregnancies wor-Hnn!"

"For-Forte, sto- Ah-hnn! Ah…!"

"D-don't… Hn-nnn! ...I'll… I'll really get pregnant…!"


	47. Chapter 45 (Seaside Hospital)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: A quick question; will you guys be okay with me adding extra chapters that are AUs in this fic or would you rather I create another story and put those extra chapters that aren't directly related to LGOTN there instead? I'd rather put them here, since that would mean I could still technically update this story daily when I decide to do extra chapters, and more people are likely to see these extra chapters if I put them here, but I'd just like to see what you guys think.

Rockman had received the audio message from Shadowman once he had managed to get out from his mate's clutches.

"Mistress, there is something I must inform you of."

Rockman blinked, slightly confused by the seriousness of the other Navi's tone. Hadn't the worst of what happened during the tournament been over? "What is it, Shadowman?"

"...It's about a certain NetNavi you were looking for." The shadow Navi told him. "I have located him in one of the computer systems in SeaSide Hospital- He appears to be lingering inside the systems of room 2-0A."

The blue Navi frowned. He didn't recall looking for any NetNavi at this point. But Shadowman appeared to be really concerned about this NetNavi… "Alright. I'll head over there now. Thanks, Shadowman."

Cutting off the audio feed, Rockman made his way to the SeaSide Hospital computers, curious but cautious at the same time.

* * *

"Nii-san!"

"Netto-kun!" Hub had practically ran over to his younger sibling's side once he entered the hospital room. "I'm glad you're alright- I was so worried!"

"I'm glad they finally let you in! I was bored out of my mind in here." Netto grinned. "Hey, where's Mom?"

"She'll be here in a moment, then we can finally go home." Then, the elder of the two sighed. "...It's a bit of a shame that neither of us ended up winning the tournament, though."

"That's alright. We got to fight tons of strong opponents along the way, and second place isn't so bad!" The younger Hikari teased.

Hub huffed, crossing his arms and looking away childishly. "Speak for yourself!"

Netto laughed, the two of them falling into comfortable silence before hearing someone else enter the room. Both Hikaris looked towards the door, and were surprised when the person standing in the doorway wasn't someone they recognized.

"You're…" Hub looked at the strange suited man, cautious and slightly nervous, while Netto was more confused than anything.

"Don't worry, you're not in trouble." The man said as he approached the two boys. "Hub and Netto Hikari, right?"

The elder Hikari frowned. "Excuse me, but who're you?"

"Inspector Oda of the Net Police." The man took out his badge, showing it to the two boys. "We're currently investigating the cause of the collapse of the Battle Dome. One of our officials have told us that you might have knowledge regarding one of the potential suspects. I would like to ask you a few questions regarding that."

"I guess he's talking about Enzan." Netto whispered softly to his elder sibling.

"Our officer says that you may have had interactions with a certain NetNavi known as the Blue Myth prior to the finale of the N1 Grand Prix. Is that true?"

Netto bit one of his nails. "Well, I guess, yeah."

"Hm." The man regarded him closely. "Would you mind retelling the interaction that you had with this Navi?"

"Well, it was just before the final match. Me and X were just practising in one of those practise rooms when she just appeared. At first, we thought she'd wanted to attack us or something, but it turns out she was trying to help us with Programme Advance."

Hub Hikari looked at his younger sibling with surprise at that. "That's what was going on in there?"

Netto nodded. "Yeah. It was real weird."

"Were you not with your sibling as this was happening?" The man seemed to have noticed the elder Hikari's words.

"Not really…" Hub paused slightly. "I was outside of the room when it happened, I think."

"Outside?"

"I was locked out. I tried accessing the control systems with my NetNavi, but there was this other NetNavi overriding the control systems."

"Oh! That's right! She'd tried to lock me in the training room- I was afraid I'd miss the final match, that would be the worst way to lose the tournament!" Netto piped in.

"Hm. You mentioned that there was another Navi that was controlling the systems while this was happening?" Inspector Oda was now addressing Hub. "Would you mind telling more about this NetNavi you encountered?"

"It was that Navi that had this star on his head. And he looked like a ninja." Hub tried his best to explain.

"Oh! I think I've seen that Navi, too!" Netto's eyes lit up. "It was that Navi with that sword and the red scarf, right?"

"Yeah! That's the one." The two twins apparently had a way of knowing exactly what the other was talking about.

"He was there when you were in that fight with Fireman and Colouredman, you know." The younger Hikari said, suddenly remembering that he'd forgotten to tell his elder sibling about that entire ordeal before.

"Really?" Hub frowned. "Huh. He really keeps appearing everywhere…"

"Everywhere?" The inspector raised an eyebrow, prompting the two twins.

"Yeah. I think I first saw him when Netto-kun was in that fight with Fireman and his operator, and then he just kept popping up during the tournament, right?" Hub looked at his younger sibling who nodded in agreement.

Inspector Oda appeared to consider their words briefly. "Has he initiated contact with the two of you outside of the tournament, then?"

"I don't think so." Hub said.

"Nah." Netto echoed his elder sibling's statement.

"I see." The inspector nodded. "Alright, that will be all then. I thank you for your time."

"...You're lying, aren't you?" Hub whispered softly to his younger sibling once he was sure the man had left.

"Aww, Nii-san!" Netto pouted. The two twins knew each other too well.

Hub ignored his whining. "Why'd you do it?"

"Alright, fine, I'll explain." Netto sighed, rolling his eyes dramatically. "It happened right before you came in, actually. Shadowman just appeared on the monitor over there." The younger Hikari pointed at the display screen at the far end of the wall.

"Shadowman?"

"That's what he's called." Netto shrugged.

"Okay. And what did he say?" Hub asked.

"A bunch of stuff..." Netto frowned briefly, seeming to have trouble recalling the details of their conversation.

"Didn't he claim that that Blue Myth NetNavi was the one interfering with those previous WWW attacks?" Rockman X finally decided to speak out from his PET.

"Oh yeah! I guess he did, huh?" Netto laughed, slightly embarrassed.

"Why'd you lie about that?" Hub was still confused.

"Okay, okay, I'll tell you." Netto grinned. He picked up his PET laying on the table next to the bed. "X, share that image file with Zero."

It took only a brief moment for Hub to open the image file. "This is…?"

"Shadowman said it was a map to some sort of power!" Netto smiled slyly. "That inspector would've forced us to show him this map if he'd know what happened."

"This… This is amazing, but…" The elder Hikari paused slightly in thought. "Are you sure this isn't a trap…? It seems a bit suspect..."

"We'll just be extra careful." Netto seemed determined. "We have each other to watch our backs, right?"

"...Right." Hub nodded, smiling briefly, before he frowned in slight annoyance. "...But this map…"

"Ugh." The younger Hikari groaned. "I know exactly what you mean. It's the worst."

"Hub? Netto? Dear, are you two well?"

The two boys looked up instantly.

"Mom!"

* * *

Rockman sighed as he made his way through the SeaSide Hospital computer systems. He'd decided to stash his cloak elsewhere until he was done here, deciding that the best way to stay hidden and avoid being recognized was to hide in plain sight; It wasn't as if anyone knew what he looked like underneath his cloak. In fact, most surface Navies would probably recognize him instantly if he did wear his cloak. There was a weird feeling of nostalgia, though, as he walked through the computer systems- It was as if he was just a regular surface NetNavi again.

Deep in his thoughts, the blue Navi didn't notice as a programme running towards him, the two bumping into each other.

"OW! OH NO!" The programme exclaimed once it had picked itself back up. "I AM TERRIBLY SORRY! I'M NEW HERE- I HAVEN'T A SINGLE CLUE WHERE I'M SUPPOSED TO GO!"

"That's okay." Rockman smiled softly. "Well, where are you going? Perhaps I can help?"

"REALLY? YOU WILL? YIPPEE!" The programme did a small jump before it continued. "WELL, I'M SUPPOSED TO DELIVER THIS DATA TO ROOM 2-0A, BUT I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE IT IS!"

"Room 2-0A?" Rockman blinked, surprised. "Oh! I'm heading there myself. Here, follow me and I'll take you there, okay?"

"OKAY! THANK YOU, KIND NAVI!"

With the programme following closely behind him, Rockman quickly navigated his way through the computer systems, locating the wrap pad to his destination and logging into the room systems.

"Ah, I was waiting for that data." A voice spoke out not a moment after Rockman had entered into the room systems. "Had the programme gotten lost again? Well, I thank you kindly for bringing him here."

Rockman turned to the voice. "Oh, it's nothi-" He stopped dead in his tracks, gasping once he saw the NetNavi who was speaking to him.

"Se- _Serenade?!"_


	48. Chapter 46

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Confession; If my Dad hadn't bought me the Rockman EXE manga, I probably wouldn't have shipped Forte and Rockman, considering their relationship wasn't nearly as developed and explored in the anime and games. You might have gotten a very different version of LGOTN.

The other NetNavi paused, staring at him for a brief moment before he spoke. "I'm sorry- Do I know you?"

"Oh! S-sorry." Rockman stammered, still not fully recovered from his shock. "Where were my manners? I'm, I'm Mega."

"Mega." Serenade repeated, smiling. "It's nice to meet you. I am Serenade- but I suppose you already knew that."

The blue Navi laughed awkwardly. He really hadn't expected to see the King of the Undernet in here of all places.

"MISTER SERENADE! HERE IS THE DATA YOU WANTED!" The programme piped up as he floated towards the Navi. "IT'S THE NOVELIZED VERSION OF LUNAR KNIGHTS, THIRD EDITION!"

"Ah, that's right. Thankyou." Serenade nodded, taking the data from the programme.

Rockman was quiet as he fell back into his thoughts; in all honesty, he still wasn't sure what he was expecting or what he wanted to achieve when he had asked Shadowman of the whereabouts of Serenade. The blue Navi had thought that since Serenade had been the one to send him back in time, that perhaps the other Navi would recognize him, even in this timeline, but he suppose he'd been mistaken.

No one else had recognized him. He technically didn't even exist in this timeline, so perhaps he shouldn't have been surprised that this Serenade didn't have any recollection of him, either.

"Well, I guess I should be going then." Rockman said, feeling slightly resigned. "I'm sorry for disturbing you."

"Oh, you're leaving so soon?" Serenade appeared disappointed. "I was hoping you'd have some time to stay a while; My operator's currently in one of his daily checkups, and I rarely get to talk to other Navies outside of here."

That made Rockman pause- Serenade had an operator? "Daily checkups?"

Serenade nodded. "Yes, my operator lives in this hospital."

"What happened?" Curious, Rockman asked before he could stop himself. "I mean, if you don't mind telling me." He quickly added.

Serenade's smile faltered. "...He's lived in this hospital for his entire life. He's very ill."

"Oh…" that made the blue Navi felt bad. "I'm sorry- I didn't mean to bring that up…"

"No, it's okay." The other Navi shook his head. "My operator's been sick since birth. He's suffered from a disease known as HDB for his entire life. Since he has to be monitored constantly to make sure he doesn't have another attack, he doesn't get to go out much." Serenade stopped momentarily. "...I guess that's also why I don't get to leave here very often."

"That's terrible!" Rockman couldn't imagine being trapped in the same room for the entirety of his life. "He'll get better with treatment, right?"

"...I am unsure. I've just been doing my best to keep him company while he's in here..." Serenade hesitated, before he looked away, smiling softly. "Sorry. I shouldn't be saying such depressive things- We've just met, afterall."

"You don't have to apologize, Serenade." Rockman told the other Navi. "I'm not actually in a hurry, anyways, so I'll be more than happy to stay and talk for a while with you."

He could feel the change in mood instantly as Serenade beamed. "That's great! Perhaps I can even introduce you to my operator, when he returns."

Rockman nodded. It was still weird- the fact that this iteration of Serenade wasn't the King of the Undernet, but instead the NetNavi of an ill child. Even if Rockman knew that some things in this timeline were different from his original one, if Hub's appearance in this timeline was any indication, but the difference was so drastic that the blue Navi found it hard to adjust to so suddenly.

Just then, a holographic image flickered to life next to Serenade. Rockman watched as the projection visualized itself, displaying the image of a small boy.

"Mamoru!" Serenade appeared relieved. "You're back."

"Yeah." The boy, Mamoru smiled back, before he yawned. "I'm just so tired, having to do this everyday." Then, he appeared to have noticed Rockman. "Oh! Hello!"

"Mamoru, this is Mega." Serenade quickly introduced him.

"Oh, is Mega your actual name?" The boy blinked. "Anyways, it's nice to meet you, Mega!"

"Hm, it's nice to meet you, too." Rockman said politely, but he was somewhat confused by Mamoru's first statement. "But what do you mean by…?"

"I've seen you before, on TV." Mamoru explained.

"On TV?" That only made the blue Navi more confused.

"Yeah! You're that NetNavi they're calling the Blue Myth, right?" The boy bit on one of his nails as he attempted to recall his memories. "I was watching the live broadcast of the N1 Grand Prix when you appeared."

Rockman's jaw dropped. "I, I think you're mistaken- I'm not-"

"I remember your eyes." Mamoru seemed completely certain of himself. "They have this spark in them. I'd never forget it." Then, he appeared to be considering something. "But, you're a lot less scary than they make you out to be on the news."

Rockman just stared at the boy, unsure of what to say. It figures that Serenade would have an operator that also possessed some sort of unknown power, and had an air of mysteriousness surrounding him. "W-well, thanks, I guess." At least the blue Navi could take some sort of comfort knowing that Mamoru wasn't afraid of him, despite all the negativity surrounding him. "So, you were watching the N1 Grand Prix?"

"I was!" Mamoru's eyes lit up at that. "I watched all of the live broadcasts- Watching other people net battle was amazing!"

"You seem to be really interested in net battling." Rockman commented.

"Well, I would love to become a net battler, too, if I can." Mamoru's mood changed at that. "But the doctors said that I can't. They say it might trigger another attack."

"You could always net battle once you get better- I'm sure you'll be great at it!" Rockman attempted to comfort the ill child; The blue Navi wasn't even lying. Had Serenade been one of the competitors in the N1 Grand Prix, he would have swept all of his competition.

"Yeah… right." Mamoru sighed, his posture slumping. "It's not as if I'll ever get better…"

"Wh-what?" The boy's sudden pessimism surprised Rockman greatly. "Why not?"

"Everyone's been saying that I'll get better. That there's some treatment that might help with my disease…" Mamoru frowned as he trailed off slightly. "But it's been so long, and I still haven't gotten any better! I'll still be sick even if they give me treatment- I'll never be able to leave the hospital, or net battle, or do anything else…"

"Don't say that!" While Rockman understood why Mamoru would hold such opinions, it still shocked him that such a young child would have so little hope for himself. "Look- While it might be true that treatment might not make you get better, there's still a slight chance that it will! But if you don't believe that you'll ever get better- Then that's just it! Even if it seems impossible, there's still a chance to change your future for the better, but you have to have hope in yourself for that to be possible!"

The blue Navi's word seemed to have stunned Mamoru; it was probably in some part due to no one having told the boy the same thing before. "I…"

"Well said."

The knowing tone had made Rockman blink. Slightly alarmed, he turned to Serenade, the Navi just quietly observing him with a stern gaze. "Serenade…?"

Then, the hospital alarms blared to life.


	49. Chapter 47

"A-an alarm?!" Panic flooded his systems in an instant. Damn it, why did trouble seemed to follow him everywhere he went?

…Maybe there were at least some truth to those rumors, after all.

"Wh-what's happening?" Mamoru seemed just as lost as he was, if not more terrified.

"That doesn't sound good- I'll go assess the situation." Serenade turned to the frightened child. "Stay here. And remember, deep breathes, alright?"

"O-okay." Mamoru nodded. "You be careful."

With that, Serenade quickly accessed the warp pad leading back to the main computers of the hospital. Rockman followed closely behind him, and the two spotted the problem almost instantly.

The hospital computers were being attacked. A swarm of the miniature versions of the Dream Virus Rockman had seen once in the Undernet before had somehow been released into the computer systems. Not far off, the two could hear some other NetNavis flee in terror as the mini Dream Viruses attempted to take a bite out of their data.

Rockman frowned. He already knew that these viruses were developed by WWW, and that it was extremely unlikely that they would've formed elsewhere on their own. Was it possible that WWW had started yet another attack, right after the tournament had finished?

"Watch out!"

As the blue Navi was deep in thought, he hadn't noticed that one of the bug-like viruses had leapt towards him, intending to tear him apart. Serenade had raised his hand at the virus, summoning several petals that shot themselves towards the miniature Dream Virus, knocking it away from Rockman, the blue Navi gasping once he'd realized what had happened.

"Are you alright?" Serenade asked him once the immediate threat was gone.

"I'm, I'm fine. Thank you." Rockman sighed. That was stupid for him to do. If it hadn't been for the other Navi, he could have gotten seriously injured. Briefly, he turned to where the virus had fallen as he heard it snarling and chittering slightly, not completely down yet even though it had been damaged by Serenade's attack. Rockman paused as he noticed something else.

This miniature Dream Virus was blue. The one he'd saw back in the Undernet was a bright shade of red, and it had some sort of fire-type aura on it. If so, does this mean that this one had the water-type aura attached to it? That made sense. WWW had acquired the Water Programme, after all. That would mean they've been successful in developing a water-type aura using that elemental programme.

But why were they releasing these viruses here, of all places? Rockman couldn't remember something nearly as severe his first time around.

"They're everywhere- They're absolutely tearing the systems apart." Serenade's words jolted him out of his thoughts. "This is very bad- There're some patients that might be undergoing operations at the moment. If we don't find a way to put a stop to this attack, their lives might very well be in danger."

Rockman blanched. There was no way he could allow that to happen! But… "There's too many of them! How're we going to delete them all?"

Serenade appeared to consider this for a second. "We don't have to delete them all. As long as we can protect them from damaging the Tree of Life's programme until the authorities arrive, we can prevent them from doing any real harm."

"The Tree of Life?" Rockman had never heard of such a programme before.

"It's the most important programme within the hospital systems." Serenade explained. "It's connected to nearly all of the rooms and equipment here. If the viruses were to damage it…"

"Alright, I've got you." Rockman understood the implications instantly. "You lead the way- I don't know where the programme is. I'll follow closely behind you."

Nodding, Serenade quickly began to make his way through the computer systems, and Rockman trailed closely behind, occasionally offering support by shooting at the viruses that attempted to attack the two of them. The blue Navi also noticed that there now appeared to be a yellow coloured variation of this virus as well that were scuttling all about the computer systems, this one mostly likely having the electric-aura attached to it, if the two other variations before it were of any indication of such.

"We're here." Serenade said once the two had logged into the innermost systems of the hospital. Rockman allowed himself a brief moment of awe as he saw the giant programme that took the appearance of a tree sprouting out from the depths of the system and towered over the entire network of the computer. It was as if there was an actual tree growing from within the cyberworld.

But there was a infestation problem- Already, hundreds of miniature Dream Viruses had attached themselves to the Tree of Life, and had begun taking bites out of the programme, the damaged data disappearing into thin air.

Panicking, Rockman formed his hand into a Long Sword. "We have to stop them!"

"Wait." Serenade held one hand up. Then, he pointed at one of the main branches of the tree. Rockman followed the direction of where the other Navi had pointed at with his gaze.

"Th-the Dream Virus?!"

Right there, on one of the branches, the large form of the Dream Virus was just sitting there, its bug-like appendages digging into the bark of the tree. _'That can't be right! WWW had collected all four of the elemental programmes before they had created the Dream Virus to use it during the 'End Game'! So why is it here, of all places?'_

Rockman narrowed his eyes, attempting to make sense of what he was seeing, but as he looked at the Dream Virus for a few seconds longer, the blue Navi seemed to recall that the Dream Virus he faced was a lot larger than this one. That, and this Dream Virus was a discoloured purple, instead of green as he had remembered.

Perhaps this was just a prototype…?

"You've seen this sort of virus before?"

Rockman jolted to full alertness- Damn it, had be said it out loud? "W-well… Sort of, I guess…"

Serenade looked at him with a blank expression, but otherwise didn't question him further. He turned back to the ongoing chaos before them. "It appears that the large one is in control of the smaller ones- perhaps if we deleted that one, we could stop this virus attack." Then, he paused slightly. "But…"

"But?" Rockman blinked.

"There's some sort of thing surrounding that virus." Serenade pointed out. "...It has an aura."

Oh. That's right. WWW had used the Dream Virus in their final attack, and the reason why the Dream Virus was as powerful as it had been was because of the Life Aura- The aura thay WWW had created from all four of the elemental programme- attached to it. It was the perfect defense, able to withstand any attack, thus making the Dream Virus virtually invincible, but…

Rockman grinned. "Don't worry about that. I'm heading in. When I give the signal, you attack that large virus' aura, okay?"

Serenade fell silent, regarding him carefully for a moment, before he nodded. "Alright. But please do be careful."

"Okay then." Rockman took a deep breath. "Here I go!"

With a running start, he leapt from the platform he and Serenade had been standing on, landing on one of the branches of the Tree of Life. The miniature versions of the Dream Viruses all directed their aggression at him almost instantly, growling and snarling as they attempted to attack him, but the blue Navi just dodged out of the way, paying them no mind. His attention was focused on the prototype Dream Virus.

As if sensing his intention, the prototype Dream Virus raised one of its gigantic claws, preparing to bring it down on him, but Rockman was prepared for this as well.

"Now!" Rockman gave the signal. Still on the above platform, Serenade acted- summoning a barrage of pellets, the other Navi directed them all towards the prototype Dream Virus, the shots exploding on impact, the Life Aura protecting the virus from sustaining any damage as expected, but Rockman wasn't concerned in the least- He was waiting for his opportunity.

Roaring in rage, the giant virus brought his claw down, swinging it at the blue NetNavi, but as he did so, Rockman saw the Dream Aura flicker out of existence for a brief moment.

' _As I suspected.'_ Rockman smiled to himself as he saw the opening he was waiting for. _'The Dream Aura is still flawed- There's an instant where it disappears completely, leaving the Dream Virus vulnerable to attacks.'_

Taking his chance, Rockman leapt forward, dashing out of the way of the virus' attack, slashing it in half before the Life Aura could re-manifest itself. The virus screeched, stumbling for a brief moment, before it fell from the Tree of Life, collapsing into the depths below as it was deleted, the smaller variations of it also dropping from the tree one after another not a moment later.

"...Very impressive." Rockman turned to see Serenade floating down towards where he stood. "I knew you could do it."

"Huh…?" There was that tone and look again, the one Serenade uses whenever he was about to reveal something important.

"Ever since your conversation with Mamoru, I knew you'd only ever wanted to change the future for the better, and you'd do anything in your power to ensure that." Serenade said with a soft smile. "After all, you've fought hard to achieve what you have today, haven't you?"

"Serenade, you…" Rockman thought he'd been certain that there was no way this Serenade recognized him, but the other's words just now made him doubt once more- It had hit too close to home. "You know something, don't you?"

When the other Navi had fallen strangely silent, Rockman continued. "You know about all of this, about why this is happening, and everything-" The blue Navi was unable to put it into words without him sounding mildly insane. "So… so why'd you do it? What did you intend to happen when you did it?" Rockman was shaking with doubt and hope at this point. "Tell me!"

"..."

Serenade merely stared at him in consideration for several more seconds, and, for a brief moment, it seemed as if Serenade had been about to say something, but his expression had changed completely in the next instant. He was smiling.

"Whatever are you talking about, Mega?" Serenade asked him. "I am, after all, just the humble NetNavi of an ill child." With that, Rockman watched in conflicting doubt, uncertainty and confusion and as the other Navi left.

* * *

"OH NO! IT'S GONE! IT'S REALLY GONE!"

Rockman looked to where the voice had come from as he made his way out of the computer systems of the hospital- It appeared to be the same programme he had met earlier that day.

"Are you alright?" Rockman asked as he approached the programme. "What's wrong? Did you lose something?"

"EEEK!" The unexpecting programme jumped a feet into the air. "WH-WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, KIND NAVI? I- I WOULD NEVER LOSE ANYTHING IMPORTANT! NEVER!"

Rockman sighed, slightly amused. "It's alright. Maybe I can help you find whatever you lost."

"YOU- YOU WILL? The programme was surprised, but still slightly uncertain. "YOU WON'T LAUGH AT ME?"

"Of course not." The blue Navi smiled reassuringly.

"WELL, OKAY THEN." The programme said. "I'LL, I'LL TELL YOU WHAT IT IS."

Rockman nodded. "So? What is it?"

"IT'S THE WOOD PROGRAMME INSIDE OF THE TREE OF LIFE!" The programme was frantic as it explained. "IT'S GONE! SOMEONE HAS STOLEN IT!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Plot hole circumvented. Yay for me. Anyways, that basically wraps up the entire plot with Serenade. Not sure if he'll be making another appearance later in the story- Probably not, but who knows? Anyways, we're getting close to the end of the WWW arc. I guess I should start preparing for Gospel now. Time well spent going over all the games, anime and manga to come up with the combination of all three. Good times.


	50. Chapter 48 (H)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm so glad I'm done with my essays. When I write for LGOTN, I can 500 words in like half and hour, but when I write for an essay 100 words takes like literally 3 hours in between finding and cross referencing all the references needed for it.

"I've got it." Forte said, suddenly.

Rockman paused. He'd returned back to the Undernet once he'd retrieve his cloak, the familiar weight of it resting on his shoulders once more. Uncertain of what to do after he learned that WWW now has their hands on all four of the elemental programmes, Rockman had wanted to ask what Forte saw of the entire situation, but the other Navi had beaten him to it. "Got what?"

"Your problem with the auras." Forte elaborated. "There's a way to circumvent them."

The blue Navi blinked, surprised and in awe; He would've guessed that Forte of all Navies would be able come up with a solution to an impossible problem, but he didn't expect Forte to take the banter that they had when discussing it with such seriousness that the dark Navi would actually spend the time and effort thinking over it.

"Well, alright then." Rockman grinned. "Enlighten me."

"It's surprisingly simple." Forte raised a finger. "You blow them away." Then, he mimicked the motion of blowing out a matchstick.

"..." Rockman waited, expecting some sort of follow-up to Forte's statement, but when he realized that was all the other Navi had to say, he blinked. "What?"

"If you blow the aura away, then they aren't protected by the aura anymore, making it effectively useless." Forte made it sound like it was common sense.

"Don't patronize me. I get that." Rockman frowned. "But how are you even going to blow an aura away? It's attached to the person using it, isn't it?"

"It is, the same way you can detach it from that person if you pull on it hard enough."

"No, no, that's not how it works." Rockman argued. "You can't just blow away a barrier when someone summons it. They're inside the barrier. It doesn't work that way."

"Mega, that might be true for barriers, but we're not talking about them. We're talking about auras." Forte sighed.

"Aren't they basically the same thing?" Both auras and barriers protected the user from damage.

"They achieve the same purpose, but they are definitely not the same thing, Mega." Forte paused briefly, as if wondering how to explain it in a way the blue Navi would understand. "When you summon a barrier, you effectively summon a stationary object that surrounds you and protects you from damage. But when you use an aura, it's quite different."

"Okay. How is it different?" Rockman was more confused than ever.

"...You've never used an aura before, so you'll just have to take my word for it; But when you use an aura, it acts more like a torch of flame; as long as the user stays within the luminate radius, they're protect from harm, and the user isn't limited to any area- the aura moves with them." Forte explained slowly. "But to allow the aura to remain attached to them, the user has to exert a constant amount of energy to keep it attached. If some sort of external force, let's say, a gust of wind, were to pull on the aura and the user is unable to exert the proper amount of energy to keep it attached, then it's gone- Blown off, just like that."

"..." The blue Navi gave the other an incredulous look. "Okay, fine. Let's say that's how it works; But what if the aura's huge? How're you supposed to move it, then?"

"Then that's even better." Forte shrugged. "Larger auras take more energy to hold and maintain than smaller, more compact auras, making them much more susceptible to becoming detached from their user."

Rockman stared at the other Navi for several more moments. Blowing away someone's aura? Really?

"I'm slightly hurt by the fact that you don't believe me, Mega." Forte said, somewhat teasingly.

"It's difficult. You make it sound so easy." Rockman admitted.

Forte sighed, before taking his hand and pulling him against himself softly. "Here, I'll show you."

The dark Navi then activated the aura which he had acquired from one of the miniature Dream Viruses. That wasn't anything new; Rockman had seen Forte with this aura before, but-

It was definitely a different feeling from being inside of a barrier, and the blue Navi found that Forte's prior explanation on the difference between barriers and auras to be surprisingly accurate; while Rockman knew that using a barrier was pretty much like being under a dome-shaped shield, having used a barrier on multiple occasions before, being inside an aura was a completely different feeling. If he were to describe it, he would say it felt like laying in a body of water- It was constantly moving and shifting around its user, while outwardly maintaining its circular shape.

"...Whao."

"You feel it, don't you?" Forte asked him.

"Yeah. It's definitely different." Rockman nodded. "I think I see where you're coming from, now."

"Hn."

They remained like that for a while, with Forte holding the smaller Navi in his arms before he allowed the aura to flicker and gradually fade out of existence entirely.

"...Forte." Rockman spoke up, deciding to bring up what he'd originally want to with the other Navi. "I think, in the near future, maybe in the following days, something big is going to happen."

"Is it about that terrorist organization you pay so much attention to?" Forte tilted his head.

"Yeah." Rockman nodded. "I just learned that they've gotten hold of the final elemental programme, and if what you say about weaponizing it is true, then…" Rockman paused briefly, trying to figure out a way to get his point across without revealing that he knew more than he was supposed to. "If they have something that powerful, then they're going to use it to do something big. I'm not sure what, but I just know it."

"Hm." Forte appeared to consider this for a moment. "And I suppose you're going to do something about that?"

"I am. I can't allow them to hurt innocent people."

"..." The other Navi was silent for a while, before he sighed. "I still don't agree with what you're doing."

"...I know." Forte had made his opinion on this issue clear many times before.

"Just don't put yourself in danger." The dark Navi said as he held him tighter. "I can tolerate you doing what you're doing up to a certain point, but if I see you doing something stupid or throwing yourself directly into harm's way, I'm dragging you back here in an instant."

"I won't." Rockman smiled at the other's concern. "I promised I wouldn't, didn't I?"

"And I fully expect you to keep that promise." Forte told him as he leaned in closer. "Come here."

Rockman was momentarily surprised when the other Navi kissed him, but he quickly got over his initial shock and reciprocated his kiss, winding his arms around Forte's neck as the other placed his own hands on Rockman's waist, the blue Navi somehow found that Forte had moved the two of them onto the floor with Rockman laying down while the other Navi leaned over him.

"W-wait, I'm not…" Rockman blushed, slightly uncertain. He wasn't sure if he could handle another round with Forte. His breath hitched as the other Navi gently guided his legs apart, placing his forehead against the smaller Navi's.

"...Just once." Forte told him, and Rockman shivered, wanting the pleasure the other Navi could give him, but also doubtful that the other could exercise enough self control to stop just after the first time. The blue Navi let out small gasps and whines as Forte began to touch and stroke his soft skin as he was undressed. "I want you, now."

It wasn't long before Forte had Rockman laying bare undeath him, and Rockman cried out, jumping slightly when he felt Forte shealth himself inside him completely once more. The blue Navi's blushed deepened as he clutched around Forte's length, the stretch only slightly uncomfortable as his boy quickly began to adjust to the other Navi being inside of him.

"For-Forte…" Rockman made a small sound, gasping and whimpering slightly as Forte began to buck his hips into him, each inward thrust pushing against his sensitive opening in _there._ His soft insides quivered, becoming wet with slick at the repeated stimulation, allowing the other Navi to slide deep into him with ease.

"Mega…" Forte snarled, kissing him again. "Shit, you're so good to me. You're taking me in so nicely."

"A-ah!" Rockman let out a loud cry as Forte suddenly sped up in his pace, his insides shuddering and clenching down harder in over-stimulation. His entire body shock as the Navi above him rammed into him repeatedly, drawing out sharp cries and small, pleasured whines from the smaller Navi below him. Rockman closed his eyes, embarrassed at all of the reactions Forte was getting out of him.

"Does it feel good?" Forte asked him as he jerked his hips up sharply, the smaller Navi letting out a loud cry as he quivered.

"Y- Hnn…! Yes…" The blue Navi looked at the other with half-lidded eyes; despite himself, he wanted Forte. He wanted the other to continue thrusting into him, wanted him to force that innermost part of him wide open and fill him inside _there…_

Forte appeared pleased with his answer, practically slamming into the Navi below him now with each buck of his hips, hissing with approval when Rockman responded with several frantic cries. "That's it. Stay with me. I'll make you feel so good-" At that, he thrusted himself directly against Rockman's inner opening, groaning as he felt the blue Navi's walls clutching around him tighter. "-And perhaps I'll give you something even more than that, hmm?"

In the next following moments, the area was filled with the sounds of soft moaning and delighted cries, before the two Navies were finally finished, finding themselves in each other's arms.


	51. Extra 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here's an extra chapter with Forte's POV once more. It's difficult writing in his POV since his thoughts are that much more sophisticated and less impulsive that Rockman's, so I actually have to think things through before typing them all out. But here you go. This extra scene happens inbetween chapters 2 and 3. Enjoy.  
> EDIT: Oops, apparently it was just Chapter 3. Sorry about that.

Forte was both incredibly annoyed and extremely amused at the same time. He'd forgotten how much time he had spent in the Undernet by now, but that little thing back from SciLabs was still following him closely.

He was incredibly annoyed, because he could feel clearly the _tiredness, weariness and restlessness_ of the other Navi the entire time. Extremely amused, because despite all that, there was still the feeling of _determination_ and _hope_ that was being projected, even if it was buried underneath all of those previous emotions.

Birefly, Forte decided that he would see if he could draw out another emotion from the other Navi. Activating his levitation ability, he floated over a gap that he had determined would be too wide for the other Navi to reasonably leap across. He retreated from the area, and it wasn't long before he felt the other's _realization,_ _worry_ and _distress_ began to bleed through at the back of his mind.

' _I wonder what he's going to do, now.'_

There was a brief moment of _hesitation_ , before it was replaced with _caution_ and a large amount of _alertness_ , and Forte could only guess what the blue Navi was trying to do.

Then, a sudden wave of _alarm_ and _panic_ slammed into him, nearly knocking the air out of his lungs as it happened. Quickly, he circled back to where he came from before he had realized what he was doing. Peering over the edge, he saw that the other Navi climbing up the steep ledge of the cliff, before relief which he wasn't sure was completely his own flooded him.

' _Shit. I probably shouldn't have done that.'_

Sighing to himself, he turned back to the road ahead in case the other Navi caught up to him. While he was content with allowing the other to trail him, actually confronting the other Navi was a pandora's box in its own that he wasn't quite sure he was prepared to open- And he wasn't sure why.

Briefly, he considered the possibility that he'd permanently lost the ability to trust another being- be it human or Navi- in its entirety. After that clusterfuck of an ordeal he'd been through, he would have been perfectly content to never form another bond with anyone ever again, yet…

He twitched slightly as he felt those emotions that weren't his own beginning to bleed through to him once more as the other Navi got close- Forte could feel him just lurking around the corner, and when he stood there, unmoving for several moments, he could even feel the _confusion, worry_ and _concern_ seeping into the back of his mind.

It felt so genuine- It was as if this Navi had actual, human emotions instead of the basic range of emotions that were programmed into ordinary NetNavies, and at times, the other's second-hand emotions even overpowered his own; He still recalled how bitter and angry he had been just after that incident had just happened, but it was a bit difficult to stay angry when he was literally flooded with worry and concern from someone else, nearly constantly since he'd began wandering within the Undernet.

So there was that theory out of the window- If the Navi truly had malicious intent towards him, Forte would have felt it from a mile away. Forte frowned, annoyed with himself. _'What is it? It's not like me to be indecisive.'_

He was brought out of his thoughts when the slight _curiousness_ poked him at the back of his head, and Forte remembered he'd been standing there, deep in his own musings while the other Navi had been quietly observing him the entire time.

' _...He's quite curious, huh.'_

At least this Navi seemed genuinely kind-hearted in nature; Forte would've probably lost it ages ago if he had been subjected to the emotions of someone who wasn't as pure and perhaps more wicked than this NetNavi had been. He would've probably turned around and deleted that Navi in an instant. That blue Navi's emotions were a comfortable presence at the back of his mind, however, one that Forte didn't mind, and perhaps enjoyed, to a certain extent.

It was definitely interesting, the way how that Navi appeared to feel emotions more complex than he ever could, but he could experience now through the other NetNavi; He had been completely overwhelmed the first time he felt those emotions that were not his own- The mixture of _shock, recognition, curiosity, timidness_ and _relief_ had nearly knocked him off his feet, but he'd been more intrigued than anything after that first experience. Forte had wanted to see how many other emotions he could experience through the other, that he might have been unnecessarily ruthless when dealing with his enemies just to feel that mixture of _awe, wonder_ and a hint of _sadness_ that the other would project-

Wait a minute.

Had he just… admitted to himself that he cared what the other Navi thought about him?

Snapping to full alertness at his sudden realization, Forte began to trek forward once more, the other Navi projecting the feeling of brief _surprise_ before he quickly followed closely after him, and Forte had to actively stop himself from running in order not to appear suspicious.

' _This is ridiculous. I shouldn't give a shit what he thinks of me.'_ Forte told himself as he continued onwards. He'd never cared when all of those SciLab humans considered him a threat, and he definitely didn't care about how Undernet NetNavies would perceive him, with him being as ruthless as he was.

But it was a bit hard not to care, when he could literally _feel_ what that NetNavi thought of him.

...Was this why he couldn't face the other NetNavi? Because he feared the possible negative emotions he would project if that were to happen?

' _No. That's not it.'_ Forte reasoned to himself immediately. _'If he truly feared me, I would have known- There's no reason for me to avoid contact with him based on that. It's illogical.'_

So why did he not want to initiate contact with that Navi- What did he say he was called again?- Mega?

' _I'm just waiting to see if he's genuine about this.'_ Forte told himself, coming to a conclusion. _'I'll face him once I'm sure, but until then, I'll tolerate him, for now.'_

And so, this continued on for a little while, until Mega had jumped in front of a laser beam for him.


	52. Chapter 49 (End Game)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Happy early Mother's Day, you guys. I hope no one realizes that every time I need to info-dump in this fic, I basically have Forte mansplain a bunch of stuff to Rockman. It's the only way.

" _AIIIEEEEE!"_

"Mom!" Both Hub and Netto Hikari ran into the kitchen once they heard the distressed cry of their mother. At the far side of the room, dark smoke was fuming from the stove.

"Mom, are you alright?" Netto went over to his mother, helping her to her feet.

"I'm- I'm fine…" Their mother was still obviously startled. "The stove just suddenly…!"

Before she could finished, a loud explosion was heard from the outside. Heading over and peering out of the window, Hub realized that the noise had come from one of the neighbouring houses. He could see fire spewing from one of the shattered windows of their home.

"What's happening…?" The elder Hikari was already suspecting that something was up. There was no way this was a coincidence.

"Hub-san, there's an emergency broadcast!" Rockman Zero spoke out from his PET.

"What is it?"

"A series of virus attacks have occured one after another, and WWW has claimed responsibility for all of it!" Zero explained the situation. "It seems WWW has launched a full scale attack on network society!"

"That's not good!" Netto frowned as he realized what was happening. "Nii-san, let's go and see if we can do anything about it!"

"Hub! Netto! Wait!" Mrs. Hikari attempted to stop her two sons, but the twins had already ran outside of the house. The situation only got worse outside, with fires occurring all around their neighbourhood, and traffic seemed to have come to a complete halt with the traffic lights flickering on and off at random. The two twins narrowly dodged out of the way of a car as it crashed into a light pole.

"They must be launching the attack from within the city center inside the cyber world if they're able to cause so much havoc all at once!" Rockman X quickly came to the conclusion. "If we can stop the attack from there, perhaps we can prevent the situation from getting any worse!"

"Alright then, let's do it." Netto nodded. "We have to do at least do something to help!" Finding a public place to plug in, the two twins took out their PETs. "Plug in-"

"Rockman X!"

"Rockman Zero!"

"Transmission!"

As both NetNavies plugged into the city's network all at once, they instantly realized the severity of the situation; hundreds upon thousands of viruses were clawing around the cyberworld, breaking and tearing apart the network, causing a series of network malfunctions in their wake.

"What kind of viruses are those?" Rockman X wondered as he formed his hand into a buster. "I've never seen anything like them before."

"Perhaps it's some sort of specialized viruses that WWW had developed for this." Rockman Zero reasoned, turning his arm into a sword. "...There's something weird about these viruses, though…"

X didn't get the chance to ponder on his partner's statement as one of the bug-like viruses lept towards him. Raising his buster, he fired a charged shot at the virus, but instead of damaging or deleting it as the blue Navi had expected, a circular object manifested itself around the virus, protecting it from his attack as the shit collided with it instead of the virus.

"Wh-what?" Completely shocked by the turnout, X was unprepared as the virus made another charge towards him, its fangs bared as it made growling, chattering noises.

"X, watch out!"

Before the virus could latch its fangs onto X, Zero reacted, slashing his sword at the bug-like viruses, slicing through its protective barrier and deleting the virus in one fell swoop. "X! Are you alright?"

"I'm okay, thanks to you." Rockman X took a moment to calm himself. "I didn't expect that virus to have some sort of aura, though."

Rockman Zero shook his head. "Your shot had weakened its aura enough for me to attack it directly. But we definitely need to be more careful moving forward- It appears all of these viruses have an aura attached to them."

"I guess this only confirms that WWW had made this sort of virus themselves." Hub said.

"That doesn't matter; The important thing right now is to find out where they're sending the viruses from, and stop them!" His younger sibling decided. "X, can you track where the viruses are coming from?"

"I think so." His NetNavi paused briefly, assessing the situation. "It appears they're all coming from within one of the more central areas of the city."

"Alright, head over there now; If we can stop the source of the viruses, we can stop things from getting worse!"

Both Navies nodded. "Got it!"

As the two made their way towards were the viruses were being released from, more of the bug-like viruses began to attack them as they got close; while they appeared similar in shape and size, they were different in colour, and appeared to have different coloured auras as well.

"No wonder WWW managed to cause such chaos in just a short period of time; I don't imagine a lot of Normal Navies being able to handle such advanced viruses." Zero realized as he slashed at another virus that had leapt at him.

"I know." X agreed. "Virus attacks are already difficult to deal with, but if all of those viruses have each of their own individual auras…" The blue Navi trailed off, both him and his companion already knowing the unspoken implication of that statement.

It didn't take long for the red and blue Navies to reach their destination, as the two didn't concern themselves too much with fighting all of the viruses that were in their way. The two Navies stopped as they saw the wrap portal dead in the center of the city's network that was being used to transport the viruses all over the cyberworld.

"So this is where all the viruses were coming from." Zero readied himself for an attack as he raised his sword. "Now all we need to do is destroy it-"

"I'm afraid I can't allow you to do that."

"!"

Before the two Navies could react, a gust of wind had knocked the both of then off their feet, the culprit slowly floating down from the air as he revealed himself.

"Who're you?" Rockman X asked once he'd gotten back onto his feet, his buster aimed at the newcomer.

"I am Swallowman!" The Navi proclaimed, spreading his wings wide. "And WWW has placed me in charge of overseeing the destruction of this area!"

"So you're a WWW Navi as well." Zero narrowed his eyes, bracing himself. "Figures."

"I wouldn't call myself that." Swallowman seemed mildly annoyed. "I can't say I particularly care for any of WWW's agendas, but…" At this, the bird Navi grinned. "Well, they pay me surprisingly well."

"A mercenary!" X realized.

"So, here's the deal." Swallowman continued, his manner completely unconcerned. "Either you two can plug out right now and we both win as you two get to keep on functioning, and that also means less work for me. Or if you insist on fighting me, I'd have no choice but to get my hands dirty and delete the both of you." The bird Navi shrugged at that. "Your choice, really, though I'd really much prefer it if you chose the first option."

"As if we'll just do nothing and watch!" Zero snarled, slightly angered. "We'll defeat you and stop the virus attacks!"

"Alright then." Swallowman mock-sighed. "I suppose I have to take care of the two of you, then."

Then, as soon as he'd finished his sentence, the bird Navi disappeared into a gust of wind, surprising both red and blue Navies. Swallowman then reappeared in front of Zero, and with the swing of his hand, knocked the red Navi over once more.

"Zero!" Hub was alarmed.

"I'm alright!" The red Navi insisted, quickly scrambling to his feet. "I'm not letting this Navi beat me that easily!"

"Are you sure about that?"

"What?" The red Navi was confused for a brief moment, before he realized what Swallowman had meant; The bird Navi had Rockman X in a tight grip, preventing the blue Navi from moving or escaping.

"X!"

"Well, if you insist, go on and attack me, then." Swallowman taunted the red Navi.

"That's fighting dirty!" The younger Hikari yelled.

"Well, I did offer to let the two of you go, but you refused." Swallowman said, feigning innocence. He turned to Zero once more. "Well? What are you waiting for? I'm standing right here!"

"...!" Zero stood there, paralyzed. He couldn't just attack the other Navi when that meant putting his friend directly in harm's way!

"Tch. How disappointing." Swallowman said with mock disappointment. Then, his expression turned wicked. "Say goodbye to your little friend!"

Zero was alarmed as the bird Navi shot up into the air with X in his claws, Swallowman spreading his wings as if preparing for another attack. However, before he could do anything else, a shuriken had lodged itself deep into his back, causing him to drop Rockman X in shock.

"X!" Seeing his friend being dropped from such a height, Rockman Zero dashed over and caught him before he could hit the ground. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." The blue Navi coughed. "I'm- I'm fine."

"Tch." The two red and blue Navies looked over, seeing that Swallowman had fallen onto the ground as well, but his attention was no longer directed at the two of them. "...So, you're still alive."

Following Swallowman's gaze, X and Zero quickly recognized the NetNavi he was addressing. "Shadowman!"

Despite being heavily damaged, the bird Navi still kept his cool composure. "I shouldn't expect anything less than cheap shots from a NetNavi like you." He smirked at the shadow Navi.

"Funny." Shadowman narrowed his eyes. "I could have said the same for you."

Swallowman fell strangely quiet for a moment, as if assessing hus situation, before he stood back up shakily, laughing. "...Do what you must. I know when I am beaten." Then, he fell back into the wrap portal as Shadowman had leapt forward with a sword attack, slashing the portal in half and destroying it, the portal exploding shortly after, effectively preventing any more viruses from being transported over to the area.

"Shadowman…" X was once again surprised by the sudden appearance of the other Navi. "...Thanks for helping us. Again." Then, the blur Navi realized something. "Were you acquainted with that other Navi just now…?"

"I have a score to settle with him." Shadowman merely said. Then, he turned to the two Hikaris. "There is something you two must know."

"Huh?" Both of the Hikaris were confused. "What is it?"

"Right now, WWW is preparing for their final attack." Shadowman began. "They have taken over SciLabs in what they are calling the "End Game", where they will use the SciLabs computers to control the satellite systems, causing the satellites to collide into your world en mass, resulting in major casualties."

"That's terrible!" The younger Hikari gasped. Then, he appeared to have noticed something. His elder sibling seemed to have caught on as well. "Wait, WWW has taken over SciLabs…?"

"That is correct." Shadowman confirmed. "You father is currently being held hostage by WWW."


	53. Chapter 50

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I've now taken to sleeping twice in 4 to 5 hours durations instead of just once of just 8 or 9 hours. Not sure how to feel about that.

Inside one of the main control rooms of SciLabs, a madman was laughing maniacally to himself.

"Finally- _Finally!_ My plan is coming to fruition!"

From where he was, Yuichiro Hikari could only look on in horror as he witnessed the mad scientist continued his crazed ramblings inside of the observation deck.

"With the use of all four of the elemental programmes, I have finally created the perfect programme!" The mad scientist cackled. "WWW will finally be able to plunge the world into complete chaos!"

"Don't be crazy!" Yuichiro did his best to yell out from where he was bound. "That programme is still incomplete- It's impossible for humans to create the perfect programme with our current technology!"

"Hm?" The mad man didn't appear concerned in the least. "Are you still going on about that? I've seen to the creation of the programme myself- It's perfect!" He took a moment to indulge in insane laughter. "Even with my great contributions to robotics, the world has failed to recognize my genius- And such a world has no value at all! Now, all shall watch in fear and despair as their world is destroyed!"

' _So that's why he's doing this?'_ Yuichiro felt himself go pale. _'This man- He's completely insane!'_

"Doctor Hikari."

The scientist jumped in surprise. The voice had come from behind him.

"Don't worry- He can't hear us." The voice continued. "I've cut off communication from this room to the observation deck. He should be too busy to notice for a while, anyways." Then, there was a slight pause. "I'm speaking to you through this room's systems, by the way."

"Who- who're you?" The scientist was still very much shocked; SciLabs was completely taken over by WWW. It was very unlikely that someone from the outside could access the computer systems within SciLabs at this point.

"That… That's not important right now. But I'm here to help put a stop to WWW's plans." The voice seemed to hesitate.

"Huh. And I suppose I don't have any proof of that other than your word?" Yuichiro asked, still slightly skeptical.

"I'm afraid not, doctor Hikari." The voice seemed almost apologetic. "But I guess if I were with WWW, I wouldn't be talking to you right now."

"...I guess you're right about that." Yuichiro allowed himself a small smile.

"Doctor Hikari, can you tell me more about the programme he was talking about? I need to know more about the situation in there." The voice prompted him.

"So, you heard that?" The scientist frowned, trying to find a way to convey as much information with as little time as possible. "He's talking about a programme called the "Dream Aura", an aura that can withstand any attack, thus making its user virtually invincible." Doctor Hikair paused slightly at that. "But…"

"But?"

Yuichiro sighed. "Normally, I would say that the programme is imperfect; the four elemental programmes were not designed with being combined with each other in mind… But from what I managed to see from here, I'm afraid he's actually managed to circumvent the flaw within the programmes."

The voice had gone quiet for a quick moment. "What?"

"If the flaw inside the programme were still there, it could very much be exploited." Yuichiro concluded. "But as it stands now, I fear we may be truly finished."

"...I understand." The voice appeared to be considering something. "Don't worry, doctor Hikair. I have to log out of the servers now before I'm discovered, but I'll make sure the Net Police receives this information."

"Wait! Before you go…!"

"Wh-what is it, doctor Hikari?"

"I know I shouldn't be asking this of a stranger, but… I have two sons." Yuichiro said. "If you happen to see them… Tell them to take care of their mother for me, alright?"

"...It won't come to that." The voice told him, sounding strangely determined. "I'll make sure that you and your family are safe." With that, the connection was cut off.

* * *

"What do you mean?" Netto gasped. "Dad's in trouble?"

"That is exactly what I had meant." Shadowman said, crossing his arms. "Your father is currently being held hostage in SciLabs by WWW."

The elder Hikari frowned. "Then that's even more reason why we shouldn't sit around and do nothing!"

"On the contrary, I would advise against the two of you involving yourselves in this." Shadowman interrupted the two.

"What?" The shock and the bit of anger at what Shadowman had suggested was apparent in the younger Hikari's voice.

"It took all but your companion to be held against you to render you completely helpless." Shadowman gestured at Rockman X, the blue Navi appearing displeased at how the shadow Navi was using him as an example. "When you confront WWW, do you truly think they will not do the same with your father? Such indecisiveness will only leave you open to attacks." Shadowman narrowed his eyes. "If you are not prepared to face that possibility, then it is for the best that you two do not get involved."

"Hey!" His words seemed to have gotten a reaction out of Hub as well. "That's not fair! H-"

"Is that not the reality of the situation? Or am I mistaken?" Shadowman cut him off once more. "This is my final warning; If you are not prepared to face the enemy, then withdraw from this battle before you get yourselves hurt."

The twins fell silent as they considered what he'd just said, the shadow Navi sighed internally as both boys seemed hesitant about confronting the potential threat. Perhaps he had too high of hopes for the two of them.

"...Stop messing with us!" Netto's sudden outburst surprised both the shadow Navi and his elder sibling. "So what if there's a possibility of that happening? Knowing that won't stop us from doing what's right!"

"Netto-kun!" As if inspired by his sibling's words, Hub spoke out as well. "That's right- And we have each other! Together, we can overcome anything!"

"..." Shadowman was quiet for a moment, before he made an affirmative sound. "Remember what you've said. I shall be watching from the sidelines."

"Right!" Netto nodded. "Plug out, X! We're heading to SciLabs immediately!"

"Alright!"

With that, the two red and blue NetNavies plugged out of the network entirely.

"It's true that they have each other to look out for them, you know. You don't have to be so concerned about them."

Shadowman turned to the approaching Navi. "Mistress, I am not…" the shadow Navi trailed off, seeing the knowing look on Rockman's face and deciding that he wouldn't be able to argue with him on this matter. "...What shall we do now, my Mistress?"

"Well, we need to make a quick trip back to the Undernet first." Rockman said. "I need you to help me track down someone…"

* * *

"This is it! The rest of WWW should be hiding out in here! ...But-"

"This place is completely empty!" Netto quickly realized. It hadn't taken the two of them long to reach SciLabs, with the amount of urgency that they had. But instead of a gang of WWW operators as they had been expecting, SciLabs seemed to be completely devoid of people.

"What's going on?" Hub was completely baffled. "Maybe we were wrong? Could it be possible that they're elsewhere?"

Before the two twins could dwell on this issue any further, the main entrance from which they've entered SciLabs from swung open, the new comer gasping in shock as he saw the two Hikaris.

"What the- What're you two doing here?!"


	54. Chapter 51

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: As a single child myself, I've only ever refer to my Mom/Dad as "my Mom" or "my Dad", and I'm really curious when people with siblings are in the presence of their brother/sister, do they still refer to their parents as "my Mom/Dad" or "our Mom/Dad"(COMMUNISM INTENSIFIES)? Or do they just say "Mom/Dad"? Please, I must know.

The two Hikari boys turned, both recognizing the newcomer instantly.

"Enzan!" Hub sounded just as surprised as the white haired boy himself.

"What do you mean what are we doing here- What're _you_ doing here?" The younger Hikari snapped back.

"I'm here to deal with WWW and their schemes." Apparently arguing with the younger Hikari had been enough to instantly put him in a bad mood. "You two are civilians- You have no reason to be here!"

It took Netto a moment to remember that while Enzan could not be that much more older than he was, the other boy was a Net Police Officer. "Well, we're not just going to stand around and do nothing, either! We have to find our Dad!"

"That's still no reason for you to be here!" The other boy appeared to be resisting the urge to shake him.

"Guys?" Hub called out to the two from the background, and the two arguing boys looked up for a moment. The elder Hikari was standing in front of one of the flickering screens on the wall. Curious, the two other boys quickly ran over to him to see what was happening. As the image on the screen stabilized, the three of them could make out the form of a dark figure.

"Citizens of the world!" The figure spoke. "I am doctor Albert Willy, leader of the WWW organization!"

"The video feed's being broadcasted all over the city!" Enzan realized.

"In mere moments, you can say goodbye to network society as you know it!" The figure continued. "WWW has taken full control over the satellite systems, and as I speak, every major cities in the world are being targeted- The world shall be engulfed in flames and chaos!"

"So that's their final goal." Enzan murmured. "But why leave this place completely unguarded…?"

At that same moment, the elder Hikari appeared to have realized something, and had began to run down the hallway.

"Nii-san! Where're you going?" Netto yelled as he quickly followed his elder sibling. Not wanting to let the other two boys out of his sight, Enzan also ran after the two.

"I recognize that room from the broadcast!" Hub yelled back. "It's from one of Dad's offices!"

' _That's awfully convenient.'_ Enzan thought to himself. Then, he frowned. _'But something's off. The rest of the Net Police Officers should be here by now, but I've yet to hear anything from their NetNavies. Did something happen…?'_

* * *

Inside one of the access points to the SciLab systems, the NetNavies of the rest of Net Police Officers stood, unmoving and completely petrified.

"...Sorry, everyone." Rockman told the NetNavies. He'd had Shadowman paralyze them until he resolved the issue with WWW and their final scheme. "We'll return you to normal once WWW's been defeated."

"Is this really alright, Mistress?" Shadowman asked him- Wouldn't they have a higher chance of success with the additional help?

Rockman understood what the shadow Navi was implying. "What WWW has inside of there cannot be overwhelmed by pure numbers alone." The blue Navi explained. "If… if I let them go on, they would've just ended up being deleted." It was what happened to these NetNavies the last time; They had been extremely unprepared to face the Dream Virus, and ended up being completely wiped out.

Shadowman paused briefly, before he looked in the direction leading to the main control systems on SciLabs. "Is that why they've left this place completely unprotected?"

Rockman nodded. "WWW is using their ultimate weapon as their single and final line of defence."

"...Forgive me for saying this, my Mistress." Shadowman said. "But if an entire team of Net Police Officers are unable to defeat what lies ahead, then how are those three children supposed to do so?"

"That's why we need what I had you track down in the Undernet." Rockman then paused momentarily. "You do have it, don't you?"

Wordlessly, Shadowman held out what the blue Navi had asked him to find within the Undernet; A virus was squirming and struggling in his grasp, making frantic chirping and chattering noises.

Rockman smiled when he saw the virus. Gently, he held his hand out towards it. "Hey there, little guy. Remember me?"

The virus stilled and calmed instantly. There was a sense of familiarity it felt with this blue Navi that it couldn't quite place, but it decided that it liked this NetNavi that was giving out these calming signals. This Navi was much nicer than the mean Navi that was manhandling it.

Surprised by the virus' sudden change in demeanor, Shadowman had let go of it, and was further surprised when the now freed virus didn't flee or react violently, but merely allowed Rockman to hold it, sitting quietly on the blue Navi's palms.

"Sorry for taking you from the Undernet like that." Rockman told the virus. "But I'm afraid I need your help; Will you lend me a hand?"

The virus let out a small, affirmative chirrup in response, and Rockman grinned. "Thank you! Now, when we enter into the main control systems, we'll…" The blue Navi proceeded to tell the virus quickly, and it still seemed surprisingly willing to go with whatever the blue Navi had told it.

Shadowman was completely floored. From what he saw from the Mettaur Village, he'd already know his Mistress had a way with viruses, but seeing the virus' behavior change from aggressive to tame so quickly was still shocking to him. Yet, there was still a question… "Mistress… How is this virus going to help with defeating WWW?"

The blue Navi merely gave him a knowing smile. "You'll see!" Then, he turned to the path leading to the main control systems of SciLabs. "Come on; Let's go!"

* * *

"Watch in despair as my final plan comes to fruition!" The mad scientist, doctor Willy, was laughing to himself. "It won't be long now!"

' _This is bad!'_ Yuichiro realized. _'If the satellites don't change their collision courses within seven minutes, then nothing can stop them from colliding onto Earth!"_

"Hold it right there!"

Yuichiro gasped, startled when the door behind him was kicked open, but was further shocked when he saw the figures that entered through the doorway.

"Hub? Netto?"

"Dad! We're here to help!" Netto said as he ran over to his father.

"So this is where you're controlling the satellites from." Enzan narrowed his eyes as he looked up at the man still inside the observation deck. "If we plug into the systems now and defeat you, we'll be able to put a stop to your schemes."

"Ha!" Doctor Willy didn't appear concerned at all. "What can several brats like you do?"

"We're definitely not going to just stand around and watch you destroy the world!" Locating a place where he could plug in, Hub took out his PET. He looked over to the other two boys, motioning them to do the same. "Come on! Let's do this! Plug in, Rockman Zero-"

"Rockman X-"

"Blues-"

"Transmission!"

"Fools!" Doctor Wily cackled. "Your efforts are in vain! Go, delete those pathetic Navies, Dream Virus!"

As the three NetNavies plugged into the control systems, they quickly realized what the mad scientist was talking about.

"That's- That's the Dream Virus?!" Rockman X's eyes widened. Protecting the control panel was a giant bug-like virus, looming menacingly over all three of the NetNavies. "It's huge!"

"That doesn't matter!" Blues said, summoning his sword. "The control systems will return back to normal once it's deleted!"

"Wait!" Seeing this, Yuichiro attempted to stop them. "You can't just attack the Dream Virus directly!"

But the red Navi had already dashed forward and slashed at the Dream Virus with a sword attack. Seeing this, both X and Zero took this as their sign to attack, X firing multiple charged shots at the gigantic virus, while Zero also leapt in with his own slash attack.

"Did… did we do it?" X asked as they waited for the dust to settle, but when the smoke parted, the three Navies realized something terrible.

The Dream Virus was still fully functioning, and appeared to have suffered no damage at all.

"Our attacks aren't effective?!" Zero gasped.

"See what I've told you? Your struggles are worthless!" Doctor Willy laughed. "Dream Virus, delete them!"

With a snarl, the bug-like virus acted. Raising one of its huge claws, it brought it down onto the ground, creating a huge shockwave that spreaded throughout the area.

"This is impossible!" Blues yelled as he dodged out of the way of the shockwave. "Our attacks didn't even manage to put a single scratch on it!"

"That's because of the Dream Aura protecting it." Yuichiro spoke out from where he was bound.

"Dream Aura?" Hub asked. He'd never heard of such a thing before.

"It's that spherical thing surrounding the Dream Virus." His father explained. "As… As long as it's protecting the Dream Virus, no attacks can hurt or damage it."

"No… No way!" Netto appeared to have realized the severity of their situation. "Is there really no way to defeat it?"

"Now you realize your insignificance!" The mad scientist cackled. "Only five minutes remain until my plans for world destruction is realized!"

"There must be some way to defeat it!" Hub insisted, unwilling to give up. "It must have some sort of weakness, doesn't it?!"

"Indeed, it does."

Shocked by the sudden voice of another NetNavi, all X, Zero and Blues looked up to where the voice had come from, a familiar cloaked figure levitating above them.


	55. Chapter 52

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: That moment when you know you shouldn't be typing all of this on a phone but still type it on a phone anyway; I swear 99% of spelling errors in this fic are cause by this.

"It's the Blue Myth!" Rockman X gasped as he recognized the figure. "But why is she here now, of all places?"

"Oh? ...Heh, I see." The mad scientist, doctor Wily, appeared to have recognized the cloaked figure as well. "So, you're truly as attracted to chaos as they say!"

"Could it be…" Hub seemed to realize that something was up. "That the Blue Myth is just as attracted to disasters as she attracts them?"

"You've come to witness the end of network society, eh?" Doctor Wily appeared to have taken the appearance of the cloaked figure as confirmation of such. "In four minutes, all the major cities in the world will be doused in flames as their society is destroyed-" The mad scientist took a moment to indulge himself in laughter at that. "I'm sure it will be a beautiful sight to behold!"

"Damn it!" Blues cursed. "I should've known you would've chosen now of all times to show yourself!"

"..." The levitating figure remained oddly quiet for a moment, before looking up, a small smile crossing her features, as she addressed the crazed scientist. "You shouldn't believe all the rumors you hear, doctor Wily." Then, she raised one hand towards the Dream Virus. "Northern Wind!"

"...Huh?" Rockman X immediately noticed the gusts of air that was beginning to fill the area. "Natural wind...? Inside of the cyberworld?"

"Wait! That's not normal wind!" Blues yelled to the other two Navies as he noticed a giant cyclone beginning to form between them and the Dream Virus. "Stay back!"

Seeing the sudden appearance of a new threat, the Dream Virus roared, attempting to raise one of its claws to strike at its attacker, but even the gigantic virus seemed to have trouble staying grounded. It dug all of its bug-like appendages deeply into the ground as the cyclone approached it, snarling in rage.

"Could that be the same whirlwind that tore through the Undernet Village?" Rockman Zero wondered, with both arms raised in front of himself. "It's huge!"

"I'm glad that's not aimed at us!" X shivered to think what would have happened to the three of them if they had been swept up into that cyclone. "...But what is she trying to do?" The blue Navi cast a quick glance at the levitating figure at that thought.

"Wait a minute…!" Yuichiro Hikari appeared to have caught onto something. "Hub! Netto! Do you see the Dream Virus' aura?"

"The aura?" Both of the twins were baffled as they continued to watch as the cyclone swept across the giant form of the Dream Virus, but Netto gasped when he saw what his father was referring to. "The Dream Aura- It's flickering!"

"That's our opening!" Yuichiro nodded. "When the Dream Aura disappears, you'll be able to damage the Dream Virus directly!"

"I see!" Hub seemed to have realized just as much as well. "When that happens, we'll hit the Dream Virus with our strongest attacks to delete it and return the control systems back to normal!"

"What are you talking about?" Enzan looked at the two Hikari twins as if they'd gone insane. "I don't see anything of that sort!"

"Don't worry! Leave it to us!" Netto grinned as he took out three Battle Chips. His elder sibling did the same as the two waited for their opportunity to attack.

Inside of the computer systems, the Dream Virus was growling in anger and frustration, but unable to raise one claw to strike at its attacker without being blown away itself. The Dream Aura, however, ended up being swept up within the whirlwind itself, and when the giant cyclone blew past it, the Dream Virus was left completely open to attack.

"What?!" Doctor Wily was both enraged and shocked by this unforeseen predicament.

"Now's our chance!" Netto yelled as he saw the opportunity they've been waiting for. The two Hikari twins slotted in their Battle Chips in unison.

"Programme Advance; Zeta Canon!" Forming both his hands into a canon, Rockman X aimed at the large form of the Dream Virus before he fired.

"Programme Advance; Beta Sword!" As the bright form of the Beta Sword manifested itself in Rockman Zero's hands, the red Navi swung it at the Dream Virus, a wave of energy shot itself towards its target at the slash. The combined form of the two Programme Advances collided with the Dream Virus at full force, and without the protection of the Dream Aura, the virus screeched as it was completely annihilated on impact, the pile of debris and ash was all that remained once the resulting bright light had faded.

"No- _No!_ This can't be!" The mad doctor was seething with barely contained anger. "I was so close-" Then, there was a scream as something within the observation deck had triggered an explosion, blowing out the glass of the room entirely.

"The control systems have returned to normal." Blues said as he assessed the situation. "The satellites are returning to their normal orbit around Earth… The crisis has been averted."

There was a collective sigh of relief among both humans and NetNavies. "Dad! Are you alright?" The two Hikari twins went over to their father and quickly unbound him.

"I'm fine, thanks to you two." Yuichiro smiled at his two sons. "You two have really outdone yourselves."

"Hold it right there." Their reunion was interrupted. Blues had raised his sword towards the cloaked figure that was now standing on the ground as they were. Besides the figure was the floating form of a virus, the virus letting out an angry chirp at the red Navi as it sensed his aggression.

"Wait a minute." Yuichiro spoke out suddenly, as if attempting to resolve the situation before it could escalate. As he accessed the room systems, one of the display screens lit up, showing clearly the cyberworld inside the computer systems. "…We've met before haven't we?" The SciLabs scientist addressed the cloaked figure. "You're that NetNavi from before, aren't you?"

"...You're very perceptive, doctor Hikari." The figure said in response.

"Well, if anything else, I must thank you for your help." Yuichiro seemed to have taken the response as affirmation. "But there's something I must ask."

"What is it?"

"During our previous conversation, I don't recall telling you what the original flaw of the Dream Aura was- Yet you appeared to have already known what it is, or you wouldn't have been able to come up with another way to exploit the possible weaknesses in the Dream Aura as you did." The scientist frowned briefly at that. "I don't mean to doubt your good will… But you must understand that this isn't exactly common knowledge; So how is it that you appeared to know all of it prior to our conversation?"

There was a long, awkward pause as both human and Navies stared at the Blue Myth, waiting her reply.

"...Alright, you got me." There was a short, embarrassed laugh. "Okay, I'll tell you. I've been investigating WWW myself before all of this had happened."

"That's why Enzan told us to be careful of you- Because you kept running into them during their investigations, right?" Hub shot the elder boy a grin as he teased.

"Hey!" The white haired boy scowled, obviously displeased.

"She's not so bad as you make her out to be, Enzan!" The younger Hikari also joined in.

"You're still responsible for the collapse of the Battle Dome and endangering hundreds of civilians." Enzan ignored Netto, directing his attention at the cloaked Navi. "What do you have to say about that?"

"...I didn't sabotage the Battle Dome, or anything, if that's what you mean." The Navi said in response. "I was just as surprised when it sank, too."

"...Like I'll believe that." The white haired boy frowned. "Blues-"

He was cut off when a loud rumble sounded throughout the computer systems the NetNavies were in. Turning to the source of the commotion, the four Navies quickly discovered the cause; From within the broken pieces of data and damaged debris, the broken and mangled form of the Dream Virus rose, snarling as it dragged itself out from within the rubble; still functioning, but just barely.

"Hehehehe... It's not over… It' not over yet…" Doctor Wily's cracked voice spoke out- The mad scientist was still alive despite the previous explosion. "I might not have been able to destroy the world, but I can still destroy this pathetic excuse for a society!" Clambering to his feet, the mad scientist gave out one final order to his weapon. "Dream Virus! Self destruct and take this entire city with you!"

With a low growl, the core of the Dream Virus began to glow a deep shade of crimson as it attempted to overload its own systems and explode itself. Gasping, the cloaked Navi rushed forward to stop the Dream Virus from doing so. "No!"

"It's too late!" Doctor Wily was laughing maniacally. "None of you can prevent it from happening this time!"

It a flash of white light, the core of the virus overloaded itself with charged energy, but the moment before it could explode, a figure shot forward, digging its hand deep into the Dream Virus' core, forcefully stopping the giant virus from imploding on itself.

"...So, this is the Dream Aura, eh?" The tone of amusement was apparent in the figure's voice. Sparks of electricity began to run down the newcomer's arm as a programme was activated.

"...!" Seeing this, the Blue Myth turned back to the rest of the NetNavies. "Stay back-!"

The area was engulfed in a blinding light once more, the fading screech of the Dream Virus was heard as it was deleted. Outside of SciLabs, onlookers watched in horror as the windows of one of the floors of the building shattered in an instant, and dark smoke began spewing out from the broken windows.


	56. Chapter 53 (H)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Might begin to work on some extra chapters since the WWW arc is mostly done, so feel free to suggest possible extra scenes you'd like to see that wasn't mentioned in the previous chapters.

"...So that's it, then." Inspector Oda said, rubbing his chin. "The 'End Game' crisis has been averted, and while some of the WWW members are still unaccounted for, it's safe to say that WWW has been disbanded with the disappearance of their leader."

"That's what worries me; the fact that doctor Wily has disappeared entirely without trace." Enzan frowned. "If he had died in the explosion, we would at least find his body." Then, the white haired boy appeared to consider something. "What did the rest of the NetNavies of the Net Police have to say?"

"It appears they were paralyzed by some sort of programme during the attack." The Inspector recounted the event. "Most of them don't seem to have a clear recollection of what happened, but some of them do recall having been confronted by a cloaked Navi."

"So, they're behind that as well." Enzan sighed. "Just another thing to add to them destroying the Battle Dome."

"Concerning that." Inspector Oda appeared to have remembered something at the mention of that incident. "We've just finished inspecting the pieces of the support beams that have been salvaged from the wreckage."

"And?"

"From what we managed to gather by observing the damage sustained by the support beams, the markings on them seemed to indicate that they have been broken due to wear." The inspector explained. "In other words, there was no clear indication of sabotage or foul play of any sort."

"..." The white haired boy's expression grew stern. Could that be true?

"On that note, I would like to suggest some future actions regarding the Blue Myth and her mysterious companion." Inspector Oda continued. "While we can effectively drop her off of the list of criminal NetNavies that we have on record, it would still be wise to keep records on any of that Navi's activities." The inspector was more wondering than speaking at this point. "Though her intentions are still unclear, I suspect she may prove to be a useful asset, sooner or later, if her previous actions are of any indication of such."

"Right." Enzan agreed. He still didn't trust those two netNavies enough not to at least keep some tabs on them.

"Finally, there's the issue with that NetNavi that mysteriously appeared and triggered the explosion of the SciLab computers." The Inspector sounded particularly worried at this. "A large portion of the data was damaged, but from the footage we managed to recover…"

"I've seen the footage, and Blues and I were there ourselves when that happened." The boy interrupted. "It's unmistakable. The NetNavi that had appeared and deleted the Dream Virus was an Undernet Navi only known as the 'Black Shadow'."

The inspector fell quiet. While the Undernet and the things within it at large remained unknown to the general public and surface NetNavies, those who are aware, however, were bound to know of the Black Shadow, rumoured to be the strongest Navi in the Undernet, and infamous for his ruthlessness and hunger for power.

"So, the Blue Myth has not only managed to attract chaos, but also the manifestation of chaos himself. The Messenger of Darkness." The inspector laughed humorlessly.

"It doesn't matter." Enzan insisted, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "If they ever appear again, I'll be ready for them."

"Hm." Inspector Oda didn't appear to want to argue on that. However, the man quickly recalled something else. "By the way, there were two other boys with you when you confronted doctor Wily, weren't there?"

Enzan realized he was referring to the Hikari twins; Hub and Netto, the two having returned home with their father not long after the entire incident had been wrapped up. "What is it?"

"It's just speculation, but those two seem to also have a knack for getting into trouble, too, don't they?" The inspector chuckled lightly at the thought. "It's fortunate they always manage to come out of it with just a little more than a couple of bruises."

"..." The statement had got Enzan thinking. He hadn't put much thought on that before, having written that up to pure coincidence, but now, the white haired boy wasn't so sure. It seemed the two twins always found a way to get themselves involved whenever the Blue Myth appeared; first, it was the incident with the rampant train; then, it was the incident with waterworks and the collapse of the Battle Dome, and just now, it had been with WWW's End Game and the Dream Virus…

' _It's happening too often for it to be a coincidence anymore.'_  Enzan decided.  _'Is there some sort of connection between them that I'm missing?'_

"There's something going on between them." Enzan said out loud, having made up his mind. "And whatever it is, I'll find out. I'll make sure of that."

* * *

Once they were back in the secluded area within the Undernet and away from prying eyes, Rockman allowed himself to relax, gently elbowing the other NetNavi beside him. "Showoff."

"You could've easily done the same much earlier." Forte responded, raising an eyebrow. "You didn't."

"Well, like you said." Rockman shrugged. "I just wanted to help them, not fight all their battles for them."

A small chirp interrupted the two's conversation; the virus from before managed to sneak itself underneath Rockman's cloak during their return to the Undernet.

"So that's the virus you used to remove the Dream Virus' Aura." Forte watched closely as the blue Navi parted his cloak, attempting to let the virus out, but it appeared reluctant to do so. Perhaps intimidated by the presence of the dark Navi. "But how did you know that a virus able to create such cyclones existed?"

"He used to be quite the troublemaker a few years back." Rockman explained as he managed to coax the virus out from under his cloak, petting it gently. "I met him when he was terrorizing the local Mettaurs in the Undernet." Then, he addressed the virus. "You can go now. Don't go causing anymore trouble, okay?"

With a quick chirrup, Rockman watched as the virus floated off into the distance, before disappearing entirely into the horizon. He briefly wondered what it would get up to, in the near future.

"..." Forte appeared to have been watching the virus retreat for a moment as well, before he took Rockman's wrist. "Mega, there's something else we need to talk about."

Rockman looked at him. "What is it?"

"The fact that you blatantly saw the danger when the Dream Virus was about to explode itself, and still decided to run towards it."

The blue Navi paused. He hadn't even thought about that- He had just reacted to the situation as he would without giving it a second thought. "Forte, I-"

"No. Don't even try to defend what you did." The dark Navi cut him off. "You said you would avoid getting yourself directly involved in danger. What would have happened if the Dream Virus had indeed self-destructed with you at such a close radius?"

"..." Rockman couldn't say anything, because it  _had_  happened. In his original timeline, he had indeed very nearly been deleted by the explosion caused by the Dream Virus' destruction, and had only managed to escape that fate when Netto had found the remnants of his data scattered within the Undernet and revived him using it. "...Sorry."

"Never do stupid shit like that again." Forte insisted, gripping his hand tighter. "...I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you."

The blue Navi was guilt-ridden in an instant. He hadn't even considered that. "Forte… I'm so sorry…"

"..." The dark Navi didn't let Rockman dwell on his own emotions for long, the guilt and regret the other Navi felt having an obvious impact on him as well. "...Alright. You're fine now. That's more important."

The blue Navi sniffed softly as Forte hugged him, the action calming him. When the other Navi felt that his emotions were more stable, he gently nudged the Navi in his arms. "Here, I have something for you."

Rockman watched, curious and confused as Forte took out what appeared to be some sort of data. "This is…?"

"When I deleted the Dream Virus, I took more than just the Dream Aura." Forte explained, handing Rockman the mystery data. "That's a copy of the Dream Virus itself."

Rockman gasped, nearly dropping the data in shock. "Wh-what? But why…?"

"...I thought you might like it. You seemed to have a thing with viruses." Forte murmured. "If you don't, I can take it back-"

"No!" Rockman exclaimed, a bit too suddenly. "I- I was just surprised you did that." He paused, blushing at the thought that Forte had noticed his interactions with certain viruses and had thought that he might have liked having a virus as a companion; The blue Navi couldn't quite honestly say he cared much about having a copy of the Dream Virus as a companion, but… He did appreciate the gesture. "...Thanks. I like it. A lot." He gave the other a soft smile.

"...Hn." Forte actually appeared visibly relieved. "I'm glad you like it."

Rockman didn't stop the other as Forte leaned in for a kiss, but he did tense and as the dark Navi reached both of his hands lower and squeezed his bottom.

"Forte!"

Panicking slightly, the blue Navi struggled briefly before the two of them collapsed onto the ground, with Forte landing on top of the smaller Navi as he pressed the other's chest onto the floor.

"F-Forte! Wait!" Rockman squirmed, blushing furiously as his skinsuit was ripped off. "Don't-"

"I want to give you something else." Forte breathed against his ear as he pushed himself up against the smaller Navi's opening, causing the Navi below him to gasp and tense.

' _Don't… Don't say it…'_

Forte kissed the back of his neck. "...I heard females conceive easier in this position."

' _...!'_

That was all it took for Rockman's entire body to submit to the Navi above him, shuddering and clutching tightly as the other Navi plunged into him, spreading his insides wide as he was filled to the brim. The data of the Dream Virus rolled onto the ground briefly before the sounds of short cries and moans filled the entire area.


	57. Yokai Scandal 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The cover art for LGOTN will be changed to this one until the "Yokai Scandal" series has concluded. The full version is once again available on Megaman Amino. Few things before we begin:
> 
> 1\. This AU is not related to LGOTN in any way, and should be read as a stand alone story.  
> 2\. Even though it says "Yokai", creatures and folklore from other cultures may appear.  
> 3\. Folklore and mythology referenced in this fic may not be true to their origins.

"...and that's why you should never accept any bracelets from a snake charmer."

There was a collective laugh among the table as Swallowman finished his story. Serenade took a moment to wipe the tears from his eyes before he turned to Forte. "What about you? Did anything interesting happen since the last time we met?"

"..."

He took another swig of wine- What could he say? His life had gotten pretty dull after his… retirement. "Same shit, different day."

His statement did little to affect the mood among the group; their mismatched bunch of demons, sprites and Incubi were too intoxicated at this point to notice the slight hint of bitterness in his voice.

"Well, I have something a lot more interesting." Serenade said, changing to subject expertly. "I've just found myself a mate!"

The group of friends "Ooh"ed collectively. "Wait- Don't tell me!" Slur went off instantly. "It's that caped demon, isn't it? He's so tall and dark and handsome-"

Serenade cupped a hand over her mouth before she could continue. "Shh! You're ruining the surprise!"

But it was too late. Swallowman appeared to have realized who Slur had been referring to, and he began coughing from laughter. "Oh no, oh nooooo. Of all people, why did you have to choose Mr. Stick-up-his-Ass? I almost feel sorry for you, you sweet, sweet summer child."

Swallowman ducked as Serenade reached a hand over, attempting to swat at him, and another howl of laughter echoed through the group, yet Forte found it hard for him to emphasize with them. Sighing to himself, he finished another bowl of wine before he attempted to appear not as distant as he felt internally.

"Fooorte!" Slur seemed to have noticed his aloofness as she leaned over towards him and shook him. "You're not as fun anymore ever since you've retired; Is retirement too boring for you?" Then, she gestured to Serenade. "Maybe it's about time you get mated as well; perhaps find someone who can spice up your life!"

"...As if that would happen." Forte was well aware of his reputation- No one in their right mind would willingly mate themselves to him.

"Why not?" Slur then turned to Serenade. "Serenade! You know about other realms besides the Undernet, right? Surely there's someone out there who's just as fucked up as our one-eyed demon here." Forte snarled and swatted Slur's hand away as she attempted to cup his cheek.

"Hn." Serenade, being the only Sprite among the group, was also the only one who had access to many other realms, some of which the rest of them might never even be aware of. "Well, there is some place called the 'surface'."

"Surface?" Slur asked. Forte raised an eyebrow as well. He'd never heard of such a place.

"It's on top of that huge mountain at the edge of the Undernet that no one climbs because they think it goes on forever." Serenade explained. Normally, the sprite would be more secretive in giving out information regarding other realms for fear of such information being misused, but having consumed a substantial amount of alcohol has clearly made him neglectant. "But on top of that mountain, is a series of beautiful hot springs known as the surface."

"Great. But how's that going to help Sulky McSulkface over there brighten up?"

"I was getting to that!" Serenade slapped Swallowman at the back of his head. "Ever heard of the Sirens? I've never seen one myself before, but from what I've heard from the people who have, they're beautiful, winged creatures."

"Cut the suspense, Serenade! Just get to the point already!" Slur urged him.

"Alright, fine." Serenade rolled his eyes. "Every once in a while, a Siren or two descends from the sky and bathes in the hot springs. And I've heard-" The sprite lowered his voice at this, as if it was a secret he didn't want anyone else to know. "To get a Siren as a mate, all you have to do is to steal their clothes when they're bathing, as by doing so, you take away their ability to fly."

As Serenade finished, the group fell strangely quiet for a brief moment. Then, Slur and Swallowman exploded into laughter.

"Serenade- Seriously?" Slur said in between gasps. "The feared and infamous one-eye Demon- Stealing panties from innocent Sirens!" She nearly toppled over in laughter. "What a career change!"

"And let's just assume for a moment that these rumors are true." Swallowman was crying from laughing so hard at this point. "Could you imagine being mated to the one-eyed Demon in such a way? The poor thing would be so terrified they'd cry themselves to sleep!"

Serenade was chuckling at the absurdity of the entire thing at this point as well. But Forte, one the other hand, was having an internal dialogue with himself.

' _It's just a rumour.'_  Forte told himself.  _'It's all just hearsay.'_

But… it wasn't as if he's have anything to lose…

What if they'd turned out true…?

It was at that point that Forte decided that he was too drunk to continue muling over the thought, and decided on a final  _'Fuck it.'_

It was only several days later when Swallowman was hollering and screeching around the Undernet like a harpy; The bird could never keep his mouth shut. Not when it was such juicy gossip as-

"He's done it, the madman! He's gone and gotten himself a Siren wife!"

* * *

The trek up the pillar was not as tiring as it was tedious; while Forte was no stranger to steep terrain, the mountain was not rumoured to go on forever for nothing; the hike from the foot to the top had took him what appeared to be forever, and even though Forte was renowned to be one of the most powerful demons in the Undernet, he found his strength waning by the time he even caught sight of the thick clouds of steam coming from the top of the mountain.

' _At least that part of the rumors are true.'_  Forte thought to himself, though he didn't allow himself to get his hopes up; The appearance of natural occurrences and the existence of some sort of otherly creatures were two entirely different things, after all.

' _...The steam coming from the hot springs should be enough to cover me, at least from afar.'_  Forte thought to himself as he wondered how best to approach the situation, assuming that whatever Serenade had said was true.  _'But I should remain quiet, for now.'_ He wasn't exactly doing anything honorable at the moment, and he didn't exactly wanted to be seen doing so, regardless of whether the true or not.

Quickly, he scoured through the area near and around the hot springs, deciding that if anyone was indeed bathing in the waters, those were the places they were most likely to leave their clothing, though hours of searching had still left him with nothing.

Sighing, the Demon berated himself internally. He should have known better; It was really just a rumor someone had come up with. He'd just been too intoxicated at the time to acknowledge that.

' _What was I going to do if I did find a Siren, anyways?'_  He laughed to himself.  _'Bring it back to the Undernet and take it as a mate?'_ Absolutely ridiculous.

Just as he was about to make his way back down the mountain, however, something had caught his eye; It was a shade of blue- Too bright and vibrate to be natural. Fanning away the thick clouds of steam with his hand, Forte lifted a slab of stone aside, revealing his prize-

It was a dress made out of gold and blue silk.


	58. Chapter 54 (Legendary Power)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Does anyone know where I can upload all the Forte/Rockman 18R pics for all you guys to see without being banned forever? ...I mean… I'm asking… for a friend… Yeah.

Rockman sighed as he flipped through the live video feed of SciLabs; While the majority of the bugs Shadowman had littered over the place had, surprisingly, still remained undiscovered, a portion of them had gotten damaged and rendered useless due to the explosion caused by the fight with the Dream Virus several days prior. But from what Rockman had managed to gather from the remaining live feed, it seemed that activity at SciLabs had mostly returned to normal, disregarding the systems and computers on one of the top floors being completely blown out, but even that was quickly being replaced and repaired.

A soft chattering noise brought him out of his thoughts. He looked away from the datapad to see a miniature Dream Virus chewing at his cloak.

"Hey! Stop that!" Even with its small size, it still took a ridiculous amount of effort to yank his cloak away from the virus' pincers, the bug-like virus clicking softly and digging one of its legs into the ground in response.

"..." Sighing, Rockman regarded his new virus companion carefully. When he had activated the data copied from the original Dream Virus, he hadn't expected to get a tiny version of the Dream Virus. It was probably the size of any ordinary Mettaur at the moment. Though hadn't Nebula Grey also started off as a small blob-like creature to begin with before it grew to become as large and terrifying as it was?

Perhaps that also meant this Dream Virus- He'd named it Scuttlest- would grow larger when it began to consume more data, as it had tried to do with his cloak.

"...You're kind of cute, when you're not all big and scary." Rockman told the virus as he knelt down and patted it on its head. Scuttlest bobbed its head and made a soft clicking noise, and the blue Navi wondered if the virus had perhaps developed enough processing power to understand what he was saying.

"Mistress?"

Rockman looked up, seeing Shadowman approach him. "Ah, what is it, Shadowman?"

"It would appear that the Hikari twins and their Navies have found their way into the Undernet."

Rockman brought his hand to his cheek, surprised. While it was likely the two knew of the Undernet's existence, if the blue Navi's previous interactions with them hadn't already hinted them of such, knowing about it and actually finding the Undernet were two different things. Quickly, he began to consider how the twins had managed to come across the Undernet like that.

Rockman recalled his own first expedition within the Undernet; He had been lured into the Undernet by Bomberman and Elecman seeking revenge for destroying WWW, though that plan had backfired on the two former WWW Navies. The blue Navi wondered if, perhaps this was what happened to X and Zero this time around, but Bomberman had already been deleted in this timeline, and Elecman, however rash, would still have enough sense to not challenge two NetNavies on his lonesome. Besides, if that was indeed it, Shadowman would have said something about it already.

Perhaps it was by chance…? But what would prompt them to look for the Undernet so suddenly?

"Shadowman, did they have any sort of… intentions? To come to the Undernet?" Rockman asked, wanting to be certain.

"...They appear to be searching for something."

Shadowman's slight hesitation made Rockman even more curious.  _'Looking for something? What could they be looking for, and in the Undernet, no less…!'_

Then, a sudden thought hit him. "...Shadowman." Rockman began, growing suspicious. "Have you… Maybe perhaps, gave X and Zero a map that led to the 'Legendary Power'...?"

"..."

The shadow Navi's silence only confirmed Rockman's suspicions. In his pursuit for power in his original timeline, Shadowman had also been the one to point him in the direction of the 'Legendary Power'. The shadow Navi had given him a map picturing the nearby landscape and general direction of the shrine holding the power, but…

If Shadowman had given X and Zero the same map that he received the first time around, then it was a miracle that the two even managed to find their way into the Undernet in the first place.

Without giving it another thought, the blue Navi turned towards the direction of the Mettaur village; the two of them would be needing some serious outside help if they wanted to find their destination.

* * *

"Wait, I think this part might be that pillar over there."

"Maybe it could be that thing over by those dunes?"

Looking at the smudged, crooked lines only labeled as 'hill', Rockman X covered his face his his hand and groaned. "I'm beginning to think we've been duped."

Rockman Zero sighed as well. "I don't know how he honestly expects anyone to find anything using this map."

"I guess he's not as skilled an artist he is a fighter, huh?" Hub laughed, attempting to brighten up the mood.

"Nii-san, you're a lot smarter than I am, but come on!" Netto appeared to be losing optimism as well. "No one draws that badly. No intentionally."

The elder Hikari only made a face when he looked at the map once more. He couldn't honestly blame his younger sibling for thinking that; with the broken lines, poorly depicted, overly simplistic scenery and comically large characters labeling each of the landmarks, the map did appeared to be something that might have come from a preschooler's art class.

But perhaps the most damning of all, was that the map was complete with the words 'By Shadowman' written in dubious handwriting just near the center of the map itself.

In short, the whole thing was hilariously and ridiculously bad.

"...Huh?" X looked up suddenly. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Zero asked him, before he noticed it as well.

"Met-taur! Met-taur!"

The two red and blue Navies turned around to see a Mettaur hopping towards them.

"I didn't know there were Mettaurs in the Undernet as well." Rockman X was slightly surprised by the sight.

"It seems a bit bigger than the ones in the surface net, though." Rockman Zero pondered as he observed the virus. "And this one has some sort of arrow sticking out of its helmet…"

Having considered the Mettaur to be of no threat at all, the two Navies were unprepared when the virus leapt at the two of them, it's pickaxe raised. "Mettaur!"

"Ah!" Reacting out of pure instinct, Rockman X ducked out of the way, the Mettaur's sharp pickaxe missing him by inches, but the virus did manage to snag the map from out of the blue Navi's hands, and had begun to flee towards the distance. "The map!"

"Hey! Get back here!" Seeing this, the red Navi ran after the virus as it leapt its way over the nearby dune. When Zero reached the top of the small hill however, he found the virus underneath some sort of large gateway; It was vaguely familiar, but the red Navi couldn't quite place his hand on it.

"Met~taur! Met~taur!"

"Huh?" Zero was confused when the virus didn't appear to be running anymore, but seemed to be actively trying to get his attention. Sliding down the dune, Zero his way over to the virus and snatched the map back from it. "Sheesh… What's your deal?"

"Mettaur!" The Mettaur didn't relent. It tapped its pickaxe onto the floor repeatedly. "Mettaur!"

"Zero!" X had finally caught up to his companion. "Aren't those gates the same ones on the map?"

"What…?" Confused, Zero flipped open and took another look at the picture. It took him a moment to locate a square-shaped object that was labeled as 'gate'. Looking back up, he saw some sort of resemblance between the rectangular gate they were standing under, and the poorly depicted drawing of it. "...Huh."

"Mettaur!"

"Could it be that..." Rockman X turned to the virus in slight awe and curiosity. "Are you attempting to show us the way?"

The Mettaur bobbed its head frantically at that. "Mettaur!" Then, it took off once more.

"Hey!" X began to run after the Mettaur. "Wait up!"

"X!" Zero yelled after him. "Are you seriously trusting a virus, of all things?!"

X turned back briefly at the other Navi. "Unless you want to return to using that map?"

That was all the persuasion the red Navi needed as he ran after the Navi and virus.


	59. Yokai Scandal 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: It was a nice break. Spent like 6 hours working to meet the deadline, thought that was mostly my fault due to poor time management. Anyways, on with the story.

Forte realized, a bit belatedly, that he might have not put as much thought into this situation as he should have. The demon would have attempted to blame it on him being too intoxicated to think straight at the time, but he realized that he'd also made the decision to get drunk in the first place, too.

Beneath him was the quivering form of the Siren as it gasped and panted, some of its drenched feathers laid around it, having been broken or yanked off of its wings during their struggle. After suffering a series of scratches and cuts on his hands and forearms, Forte had ended up forcing the Siren onto the ground and held it still, allowing it to tire itself out by struggling once he noticed the other creature was nowhere near as strong as him physically. There was an attempt of a renewed struggle when Forte moved the other, the Siren's wings flapping frantically as it jerked, but that was effectively stopped when Forte had bent one of its arms behind it and continued to push it upwards until the other fell limp underneath him once more.

"...Stay." He told the winged creature as he began to relax his hold on its arm, allowing it to lay at the Siren's side. Deterred either by fear or pain- or a combination of both- the siren only shook as the demon slowly began to relent his hold on it.

He took a brief moment to observe the Siren once Forte was sure it would not try to run. It had a small, somewhat slender frame and soft pale skin that was pleasing to the eye. There was also smears of dirt and a series of cuts matted all over its skin, and Forte supposed he should at least feel somewhat regretful for bring the cause of that.

" _...!_ " Forte blinked, and it took him a moment to realize that the Siren had turned its head and yelled something at him; At least, he thought it was. All he heard was a bunch of whistles and chirps that amounted to a bunch of gibberish to him.

Looking directly at the Siren's bright green eyes, Forte frowned. "I don't understand."

" _...?_ " The Siren had made several more noises, looking confused, before Forte watched as it appeared to realize that neither of them could understand the other. " _..._ "

That made the demon raise an eyebrow. Considering many creatures aren't even developed enough to form basic speech patterns, the sight that this Siren seemed able to construct concrete thought and come to conclusions by itself through observation and interpretation had made the demon pause.

He hadn't really considered whether Sirens shared the same amount of intellect as them. From what he'd gotten from Serenade, he would have assumed that the Sirens were more like slightly smarter animals. Knowing this had undoubtedly made what he was doing a lot more unsettling, even for himself. But he'd committed so much already, the demon didn't think he would be able to convince himself to change his own mind now.

Quietly, Forte attempted to pick the winged creature up as he stood, but the siren began resisting him once more, drawing its wings close to its body as it tried to jerk its wrists out from the demon's grasp. It spewed out another series of frantic chirps and whistles, and it took Forte an embarrassingly long amount of time to figure out why the other was acting up again so suddenly.

"...Seriously?" Forte snarled as he watched the siren shake its head, its face blushing a bright shade of red; The siren was actually embarrassed of being seen naked. Sighing, the demon took off his cloak and wrapped it around the other creature, before attempting to pick it up once more. There was a yelp as he swept the siren up from the ground, but aside from soft quivering, the winged creature seemed to have understood and accepted what was happening, merely ducking its head and shoving its face into the cloak offered to it.

Now, all he needed to do was to bring it back down to the Undernet, though Forte doubted that the trouble would end there.

* * *

Even for Undernet standards, Forte's home was ridiculously hidden and secluded from the rest of the residents in the Undernet. That was in some part due to the demon not caring much in the way of luxuries, and in no small part due to his infamy in the Undernet.

Fortunately, the Siren didn't appear to be too bothered by the state of Forte's home. Unfortunately and understandably, it was more concerned about the presence of the demon himself. Once its feet had touched the floor, the Siren had proceeded to find the smallest cranny it could to stuff itself into, the demon's heavy cloak in contrast to the siren's slender form making it look ridiculous as it did so.

"..." The demon quickly made his way over to the siren. "Do you fear me, too?"

The winged creature didn't make a sound as it stared at him, and Forte supposed it was a foolish question to ask. The siren was obviously terrified of him after what had happened.

"I won't hurt you anymore." Forte told the other as softly as he could manage. He wouldn't deny that he might have accidentally injured the siren when he was attempting to subdue it. The siren only sniffed softly in response.

"...I don't suppose talking would help you feel better." Forte said after a long moment of the two creatures starting at each other in unnerving silence. "It's not like you're understanding anything I'm saying to you."

" _..._ " The siren murmured something quietly and held itself tighter. And Forte regarded it carefully as he began to think about what had prompted him to bring the other creature back to his home. There was no use denying that he hadn't been thinking straight- if he had been thinking at all- when he'd made the decision, but what had he been hoping to achieve by doing so?

Was it that he wanted companionship? He wasn't a particularly socially active person, but that hadn't been the result of his retirement; He had always been withdrawn even prior to that incident, and if the demon was indeed looking for companionship, then his group of misfit friends- However annoying and unbearable they were- would have filled that role perfectly.

If it wasn't companionship, then what was it…?

Just then, a commotion outside had snapped him out of his thoughts. It wasn't usual that anyone visited his home, and the fact that there was now a group of other Undernet creatures just outside of his home had caused him to be on high alert. Then, he caught the sound of a familiar voice in the distant.

"He's done it, the madman! He's gone and gotten himself a Siren wife!"

The demon scowled, recognizing the voice instantly. Of course it was that damned bird. Swallowman must have seen him sometime during his return, and the word of him actually managing to get his hands on a Siren must have spread like wildfire.

And there was no doubt that, in Forte's mind, those other Undernet creatures had gathered out there in an attempt to confirm the rumours for themselves; it wasn't everyday that you heard of someone managing to mate a Siren.

The siren in question seemed to have noticed the noise coming from outside as well, twitching nervously. Forte turned to it.

"Stay here." He told the winged creature, before he made his way outside, not even hesitating to grab his sword on the way and threaten the intruders with violence and bodily harm.


	60. Chapter 55

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Some of you might already know what's going to happen in the next several chapters if you've read the manga. Though some things are still changed, the major plot points are still mostly the same.

"Man, this place is like a desert!" Rockman X said as he dragged his feet though the sand. Dry wind was howling through the area as the two NetNavies attempted to make their way across the giant sand dunes. "I still can't believe such a place exists inside the net…"

"At this point, I wouldn't be too surprised if we found a rainforest inside the undernet." His red counterpart pondered. Then, in a louder tone, he said, "Hey! Are you sure we're going the right way?"

"Mettaur!" The virus yelled back confidently.

"Right." Zero rolled his eyes. "And how much longer are we supposed to tread through all this sand?"

"Mettaur!" This time, the virus sounded annoyed.

"Come on, Zero." X smiled at him. "We should be thankful he decided to help us. It's probably even more difficult for him to walk through this desert, considering how tiny his legs are."

"I guess you're right." The red Navi sighed. Then, a sudden thought hit him. "But why would a virus of all things decide to help us of all things? How did it even know where we were to begin with?" Rockman Zero lowered his voice at that. "...Does it seem a bit suspicious to you…?"

The blue Navi blinked, considering this as well. "...Do you think it could be-"

A soft sifting sound coming from the sand had cut him off. Their operators appeared to have heard it as well. "What was that?" Netto wondered.

"I think it's coming towards us." Hub said as the sound got louder. "Be careful!"

The two Navies summoned their respective weapons, just in time for a large Megalian virus to emerge from the sand, charging directly at them.

"Take this!" Sidestepping from the virus' line of attack, Zero swung his sword at it, expecting his counterattack to slice through the virus and delete it. However, before his attack could connect with the virus, a circular barrier had formed around the virus, protecting it from harm as the red Navi's sword shattered as it hit the barrier. "A barrier?!"

Sensing its opportunity, the Megalian virus turned and flew directly towards Zero, the Navi unable to react quickly enough this time as he was knocked back by the virus.

"Zero! Watch out!" As the Megalian virus turned towards him this time, X aimed his buster arm at it. He prepared his own attack as the virus began to charge at him. "Giga Cannon!"

Having been weakened by Zero's attack, X's charged cannon attack managed to pierce through the virus' barrier, deleting the Megalian as the shot exploded on contact. Once their immediate threat was dealt with, Rockman X ran to his companion. "Zero! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Zero insisted as he stood back up, dusting himself off. "I didn't expect that virus to have its own barrier, but I guess even Undernet viruses are much stronger than the ones in the surface net."

"And there's probably only going to be more viruses where we're going." X frowned. "We have to be careful."

"Mettaur!"

"Huh?" Looking up, Rockman X noticed the Mettaur standing on top of a sand dune not far away. It was waving its pickaxe at the two Navies and kicking at the sand with its feet.

"Mettaur!"

"Alright! We're coming!" Sighing, X ran up to where the Mettaur was, Zero following closely behind him. As they reached the top of the dune however, both of the Navi gasped at what they saw on the other side. Surrounded by the vast desert around it was a gigantic pyramid, pillars and statues made of stone lining up the sides of the staircase leading to the entrance only served to add more to its grandeur.

"It's like an actual old Egyptian pyramid!" Hub was completely in awe.

"I bet this is the place we were looking for." Netto seemed impressed as well. "I wonder what's inside?"

"Only one way to find out." Zero said as he begin to make his way up the staircase. As they reached the top, the two Navies were greeted by a pair of stone doors. Upon pushing both sides of the door open, there only seemed to be a dark tunnel, leading directly into the Pyramid itself.

"Mettaur?"

"Hm?" X turned back to where the distant sound of the Mettaur had come from, seeing the virus still standing at the bottom of the staircase. "Hey, what's wrong? Aren't you coming with us?"

The Mettaur appeared hesitant. "Mettaur!"

"Maybe it's scared of whatever's inside?" Zero wondered.

"I suppose…" It wasn't that farfetched. There were many things in the Undernet that people still can't fathom. "Well… Thanks for helping us, anyways! You stay safe out here in the Undernet, okay?" X yelled down as he waved at the Mettaur.

The Mettaur blinked at them, before it waved its pickaxe at them once more. "Mettaur!"

"Alright. Let's go inside." With that, the two NetNavies stepped through the doorway and into the dimly lit hallway inside of the pyramid, the stone doors slamming shut not several moments later behind them.

"Ah! The door!" X looked back in shock as the two were plunged into darkness, though he supposed he should have expected that.

"Stay alert. We don't know what's lurking around in the dark." Zero said as he summoned his sword, the slight glow coming from it illuminating the area they were in briefly. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw something moving, the light from his sword bouncing off of whatever it was. "What's that…?"

A series of low growls and snarls answered him, and as the two Navies eyes had adjusted better to the darkness surrounding them, they saw what it was that was in the dark hallway with them.

"No way!" X gasped. "It's the same as that virus from before- and there's an entire herd of them!"

As each of the Megalians began to stir awake, the group noticed the two intruding Navies instantly. One of the Megalians let out a loud snarl, leading the charge against the two intruders, the rest of the Megalians following it just a moment later. While a single or two of the Megalian viruses might not have been much of a problem for the two red and blue Navies to take care of, both of them seemed to have come to a unanimous conclusion that an entire herd of Megalians would be too much for them to handle.

"Run!" Zero screamed, and the two Navies sped down the hallway, a group of anger Megalians tailing closely after them.

"We have to find some way to take care of these viruses somehow!" Netto said as he attempted to gauge the situation. "We can't just run from them forever!"

"We'll have to trap them somehow!" Hub frowned. "Maybe we can use the surroundings to our advantage?" Then, the elder Hikari noticed something. "Ah! Zero, X, do you see that narrow split off from the hallway over there? Maybe we can bottleneck these viruses!"

"Alright, got it!" His NetNavi nodded.

"What? Nii-san! What's that going to do?" The younger Hikari was confused.

"You'll see!" Hub smiled.

As the two NetNavies ran into the narrow corridor, the Megalian viruses attempted to follow them. However, their huge heads didn't allow more than two to squeeze into the tight passageway at a time, and even then, the viruses appeared to have trouble moving forward towards the two Navies.

X sighed in relief. "Alright, now we just have to get away-" Then, he paused. "Oh no."

Zero didn't know what X was refering to. "What is it?"

"It's a dead end." The blue Navi said as he pointed, the path before them led up to a certain point, before it was blocked off by a wall. Zero cursed quietly as he saw it.

"Nii-san, what're we going to do now?" Netto was panicking. Even if the Megalian viruses were having trouble squeezing themselves through the hallway, they would catch up to them eventually.

"Wait. This could be a good thing." Hub said as an idea seemed to have popped up in his mind. "When I give the signal, we'll use our strongest attacks against those viruses, okay?"

"What? How's that-" Then younger Hikari attempted to protest, but he seemed to have realized what his elder sibling was hinting at mid-sentence. "Oh! I see now!" He grinned. "Okay! Let's do this!"

The Megalian viruses were inching closer and close to the red and blue Navies, making growling and snarling noises in rage and anger at the intruders. X and Zero looked on nervously at the approaching viruses as more and more of them began to squeeze into the passageway, attempting to get to the two NetNavies.

"Now!" Hub yelled, then, he sent the Battle Chip data to Zero. "Programme Advance; Beta Sword!"

Netto followed his lead. "Programme Advance; Zeta Cannon!"

In a bright flash of light, X and Zero unleashed their combined attacks as the herd of Megalians, the viruses were unable to move away, being bottlenecked and cramped into the tight corridor, lining themselves up perfectly to the two NetNavies' attack as the combined power of the Programme Advances tore through the entire group in an instant, a series of loud roars were heard as they were deleted swiftly.

"That was a close one!" Rockman X sighed, wiping the sweat off his face as he watched the remainant data of the Megalian viruses fading away into the air.

"X, look over there." Rockman Zero pointed to the wall across of them. As the blue Navi looked to where his companion was pointing at, he noticed a part of the wall that was damaged, revealing a room from behind it; The two of them had accidentally revealed a secret area with their attacks.

"Do you think whatever we're looking for is in there?" Netto asked, curious but cautious.

"It's possible." Hub shared his younger sibling's sentiment. "Alright. Let's check it out."


	61. Chapter 56

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: tmw a bunch of your seniors diss your art for being bad so you go home and draw porn of your OTP to make yourself feel better. Good times.

"Huh? This place…" Rockman X noticed the change in atmosphere the moment he stepped through into the hidden area that they revealed. "It feels different than before…"

"I know." Zero acknowledged as he began looking around. "This place actually looks and feels like we're in the cyberworld."

"So… Another challenger has come seeking the 'Legendary Power'..."

"!"

Both Navies turned to the source of the voice. A NetNavi was afloat in the air before them.

"Who're you?" Rockman Zero stepped closer towards the unknown Navi. "And what do you mean 'Legendary Power'?"

"My name is Pharaohman." The Navi said with an air of authority. "I have witnessed many NetNavies before you attempt and fail in their quest to obtain the Legendary Power which is hidden within this shrine."

"Zero, I think this is it." Rockman X stood closer as well. "I think whatever this Legendary Power is, that's what the map was leading us to."

The red Navi nodded in acknowledgment. "Where's this Legendary Power hidden?"

"To obtain the Legendary Power, you must prove yourselves to be worthy of it." Pharaohman explained. "Only when you defeat the four guardians in battle shall the Legendary Power reveal itself to you."

"The four guardians?" X frowned. "We're going to have to fight against four opponents at the same time?"

Zero was cautious as well. "We'll be at a disadvantage… But we've come too far to back down now." The red Navi looked at his companion. "Besides, whatever happens, we'll have each other to rely on, right?"

"Right." The blue Navi seemed more determined now, after Zero's encouragement.

"So? Will you accept this challenge?" Seeing the two Navies coming to a decision, the ancient Navi asked.

"We accept the challenge!" X answered.

"Bring it on!" Zero echoed his statement.

"Very well, then." Pharaohman raised his hands, and the area surrounding them began to glow brighter. "Awaken, the four Guardians of the Legendary Power!"

The ground below then trembled softly, and four coffins rose from the floor, a bright light shining out from all four of them as they opened. Both X and Zero shielded their eyes, and four NormalNavies stepped out from the coffins.

"Huh?" Netto Hikari was confused. "Those are the four guardians?"

"They don't look very intimidating at all…" Hub appeared disappointed as well. "But don't let your guard down! They might be really strong!"

"Yeah, right." The younger Hikari was obviously skeptical. "Alright, X! Let's defeat those four NetNavies!"

"Got it!" Turning his hand into a buster, the blue Navi dashed forward and began firing at one of the NormalNavies.

"Ha! Do you really think it'll be that easy?" The NormalNavi shifted his hand into a buster, and began to match Rockman X shot for shot, each of their attacks colliding and canceling each other out. Seeing his companion go on the offensive, Zero took it as his sign to attack as well.

"You're going down!" The red Navi yelled as he leapt towards another one of the NormalNavies, swinging his sword down at him. However, this NormalNavi was prepared as well, countering Zero's attack with his own sword, a loud clank sounding throughout the area as the two swords collided.

"You are too rash." The NormalNavi commented. "You'll never win this fight without exercising the proper amount of restraint."

His words only appeared to anger the red Navi, and Zero began to swing his sword over and over again, expecting to land a hit on his opponent, but the normal Navi somehow seemed to match him in both speed and strength, countering each one of Zero's attacks flawlessly. "How…?"

X seemed to have noticed that something was wrong as well. Still engaged in battle with the NormalNavi, he was also beginning to realize no matter how hard he attacked, the NormalNavi could meet all of his shots which the same amount of power. "All of our attacks are the exact same-" X gasped as he realized something. "Are they copying our powers and fighting styles?"

"Heh! So, you've finally figured it out!" The NormalNavi X was battling laughed as he fired another shot, countering X's charged buster shot.

"We're fighting against Navies that have our exact same strength and power…" Zero was growing nervous at this revelation. "And there's four of them… This is bad…!"

Hearing Zero's words, the more blunt of the four NormalNavies snorted. "Now you see how slim your chances of surviving are." Then, a wicked grin crossed his expression. "But you'll soon see just how great the distance between our strength and yours are!"

Raising his arm, a bright light surrounded the NormalNavi, and X watched in shock as the NormalNavi's entire body began to shift and change completely. When the light faded, the NormalNavi was no longer recognizable.

"How…!" Knowing that something was going to go incredibly wrong, X took a step back, but the NormalNavi, now much bulkier and wearing red armour, charged at him before the blue Navi could regain his composure, and with a swing of his fist, he sent Rockman X flying across the floor.

"Kuh!" X wheezed once he steadied himself. "What sort of strength…?"

"I am Fefnir!" The Navi declared. "And I have the ability to increase the strength of any of my attacks!"

"X!" Seeing the escalated situation, Zero rushed instantly to his friend's aid. Raising his sword, he attempted to strike the Navi Fefnir down with a slash. "You get away from him!"

As he swung his sword however, a blockade of ice surrounded Fefnir, shattering Zero's sword as it collided with the ice. "Wh-what?!"

"Your attacks are useless against me." Another voice said. As Zero turned, he saw another NetNavi, most likely transformed from one of the four NormalNavies, walking closer towards them, this one taking on a more feminine form and wearing light blue armour. With a wave of her hand, the ice surrounding Fefnir disappeared, and she smiled as she addressed Zero. "I am Leviathan, and my special ability can block any blade."

"They've both transformed!" Struggling to his feet, Rockman X aimed his buster at Leviathan. "Cannon-"

Before he could fire the shot, a familiar red blur flashed in front of him, the slash of a blade knocking him back. Eyes wide, X looked in shock and disbelief as the figure disappeared, just as quickly as it had appeared. "B-Blues?!"

"He is but a mere projection I have created." Turning his head, this time he saw a NetNavi wearing dark armour. "My name is Phantom. My special ability allows me to borrow the abilities of any other NetNavies."

"This is bad…" X coughed as he attempted to get back up.

"Damn it." Zero cursed. The three Navies were closing in on them. "We got careless-" Then, the red Navi appeared to have noticed something from afar. "Watch out!"

Taking X's wrist, the red Navi leapt back, pulling the other with him just in time for a barrage of energy shots to land directly in front of the two. The force of the attack nearly knocking the two Navies off their feet once more.

"Wh- what sort of attack is that?" X had never seen any attack of the sort before.

As the smoke cleared, another Navi was stalking closer towards them, this one wearing green armour. "I am Harpuia!" Raising his head high, the green NetNavi exclaimed. "My special ability allows me to fully customize all of my attacks!" Then, he spread his arms wide, gesturing to the other three Navies. "We are the four Guardians of the Legendary Power! Will you pass our trial and obtain the Legendary Power held within this shrine, or perish like all those before you?"

"So those are the original forms of the four Guardians…" X attempted to regain his composure as the four NormalNavies revealed their true forms. Briefly, he turned to his companion. "Zero…"

The red Navi remained silent, his gaze still fixated on their four opponents, but even so, the two Navies appeared to have the same realization.

They had seriously misjudged their situation.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So yeah, the four guardians represent the four style changes Rockman has in the anime (HeatGuts, WoodShield, ElecBrother, AquaCustom). Obviously, the elements don't match up, but that's the best I can come up with. Sorry guys. Stay tuned to see how the battle turns out.


	62. Yokai Scandal 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm not sure what I did today. But I can't wait until the stickers I ordered like a week ago to be delivered tomorrow.

That Demon was outside, having some sort of bickering match with what appears to be a group of other creatures. The Siren's sharp ears picked up the loud noises coming from outside which basically amounted to a series of yells and snarls to him. Briefly, he wondered if he should attempt to climb out of the window on the far side of the wall, but a loud crash and the sounds of something shattering stopped him. Judging from the noises, he didn't think there was a small crowd out there, and the Siren didn't want to find out what would happen if he got caught.

' _Perhaps I should find someplace to hide?'_  He thought to himself. He didn't have to understand whatever conversation the other creatures out there were having to know that they weren't on friendly terms, and if some sort of fight happened to break out among them, he didn't want to be caught in the middle of it. Looking around, he noticed a small cabinet. Sliding the cabinet door open and determining that he would he able to fit inside of it, the siren slipped into the cabinet and crammed himself among all the other various things inside of it. His wings were folded up uncomfortably within the tight space, but once he had settled, the Siren returned to quietly listening on whatever was happening outside.

The commotion had gotten louder now, and there was now an additional voice that was shrieking loudly over the rest of the voices. The Siren jumped when a yell and the smashing of wood was heard, before the noises gradually diminished and faded away.

Curious, the Siren pressed his ear against the cabinet door, hearing a soft creek before the sounds of footsteps approached. He managed to pick out the two voices that seemed to be talking amongst themselves; one of which he recognized to be that of the Demon's. Though he was less confident about the second voice, he believed it to have belonged to whoever was shrieking when the group of creatures were still lingering outside.

The thought made him shiver. He didn't know who that other creature was. He didn't even know who the Demon was, or what it wanted from him.

The room had fallen strangely silent, and driven by the unnerving suspense, the Siren attempted to move closer in an attempt to pick up on any sounds that might give him hints as to what was happening. Then, the cabinet door had suddenly flung open, the Siren yelping as he lost his balance and falling onto the floor outside. There was a startled cry, and as he looked up, the Siren saw another another creature standing next to the Demon who he did not recognize, confirming his suspicions.

" _...?_ " The unknown creature began speaking, and the Siren was unsure of what to say. All he could hear was a series of clicks and whistles. But when it became apparent that this other creature was determined to get a response or some sort of reaction out of him, the Siren sighed. "I don't understand you…"

"Ah." The creature blinked. "Aetherian, is it?"

The siren gasped. "You can understand me?" He was completely surprised. As of yet, none of the creatures he had met appeared to share his dialect.

"I can speak some." The creature said as it reached into its pocket and took out a pendant. Placing it in its palms, the creature whistled something in its previous language, before holding the pendant out over his head.

"It helps you to understand the Undernet dialect." The creature explained when the Siren had shrunk back, slightly weary. Hearing this, the Siren paused, before allowing the other creature to slip the pendant over his head, feeling something click at the back of his mind as the adornment settled softly around his neck.

"Do you still understand me?" The other asked once more.

He nodded. "Yes."

His reply seemed to have caught the Demon's attention, a brief look of shock crossing its features before it turned to its companion. "What did you do?" The siren was just as surprised at the fact that he was now also able to understand what the Demon was saying.

Sighing in annoyance, the other creature turned to the demon. "I'm cleaning up after you, since you've decided to kidnap a Siren of all things without even giving it a second thought." Rummaging through its sack, the other creature took out a small pack and handed it to him, too. "Wear this when you get the chance, okay? You're going to catch a cold in the Undernet if you've only got that old, torn up cloak to wear."

"Th-thankyou." The siren took the offered package. "But, I still don't know who you are…"

"My name is Serenade." The other said, offering him a small smile. "I came as soon as I heard the rumours."

"Rumours?" The siren was confused.

"That a one-eyed Demon had brought back a siren from the surface." Serenade told him. Then, he added, a bit belatedly, "...Though I cannot help but feel I am partially to blame for this."

"Oh…" The siren hesitated, uncertain of what to say. "...Does that mean I'm… I can't…"

Serenade appeared to understand what he was implying. "No, you'll still be able to return to the surface world." He explained. "Just… just, not now."

"Why not?" The siren was confused.

At this, Serenade glared at the Demon standing besides them. "A number of people saw what happened when you were brought to the Undernet, and now the rumours of him having a Siren wife are spreading like wildfire." Serenade paused momentarily. "You… you know about how many others perceive your kind, right?"

"..." He wasn't aware of the details, but the Sirens did have their own rumours surrounding what happened to those that had mysteriously disappeared when they descended onto the surface. "I… I know some of the rumours, I think."

Serenade nodded, appearing somewhat relieved that he didn't need to explain that part of the situation to the Siren. "While many Undernet creatures are still doubtful of your existence, some are determined to confirm it." he continued. "And considering the rumours surrounding your kind and the brashness of the majority of the Undernet creatures… I hope you'll understand why it's for the best that you stay put here for a while, until the suspicion has lessened."

The siren frowned. He wasn't very comfortable being in the Undernet, considering the circumstances of how he'd got here in the first place, but he did understand Serenade's point; Not only would he be putting himself in danger if he was caught before he could return to the surface, but if other Undernet creatures were to realize that it was a viable option to kidnap and mate a Siren wife… What was there stopping other creatures to do the same to other Sirens? "...Okay. I don't really like it, but I guess I don't have much of a choice..."

Though seemingly apologetic, the other creature still attempted to comfort him. "We'll return you to the surface once we're able to." Serenade then gave the Demon another glare. "Isn't that right, Forte?"

The Demon didn't offer any verbal response, merely snorting slightly as it looked away, an unreadable expression on its face.


	63. Chapter 57

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: What is with these overly-positive chapters? I can't wait to get to all the angst I have planned.

"Watch out!"

Rockman X yelled, leaping out of the way just in time for another round of FireBlasts to miss him by inches. Not far from him, Rockman Zero wasn't faring too well either. The red Navi just managed to deflect several rounds of arrows shot by a summoned illusion of Roll.

"Damn it, they're attacking too fast for us to do anything!" Netto realized as he attempted to send Battle Chip data over to his NetNavi, but the barrage of mini bombs were effectively blocked by a barricade of ice.

"They must have some weakness of some sort!" Hub reasoned, attempting to remain calm. "If we can figure it out, then maybe we can exploit it-" The elder Hikari was interrupted when several lances shot out from floor panel below Zero, causing the red Navi to recoil back and scream when the lances exploded on impact. "Zero!"

"It's useless." Phantom appeared before the two Navies as X ran over to Zero's aid upon seeing the red Navi collapse. "Your efforts are futile."

"We've fully scanned and analyzed your fighting style even before the battle had began, the moment you've stepped into this shrine." Leviathan told them with a smile.

"Aside from being able to predict your attacks, our special abilities allow us to change and adapt to any opponent. Harpuia added.

"Your chances of winning are literally zero!" Fefnir smirked, forming his arm into a cannon. "FireBlast!"

"Barri-" The ball of fire had hit them before X could summon his barrier, the resulting explosion throwing the two Navies back. The red and blue Navies attempted to get back up, but it was obvious that they were too damaged at this point to win their battle against the four guardians.

Hub looked towards the four guardians, then slightly behind them, where the opening that they've created was still showing. An idea formed inside his mind.

"Netto-kun." He looked at his younger sibling. "I'll distract the four guardians. When I give the signal, you and X get out of here through that opening over there."

"What?" The younger Hikari was both shocked and confused. "Nii-san, what are you talking about?"

"There's no way we're winning this battle, don't you see?" Hub explained, frowning. "And it doesn't look as if we'll be getting out of this one this time…" The elder Hikari paused briefly, obviously conflicted. "But…"

"But?" Netto was suspecting he wouldn't like what his elder sibling was about to say.

"It's unlikely both of our Navies will survive this…" Hub murmured. "And if that's the case… I would rather have Zero deleted than have anything happen to you or X."

"!"

Netto just stared at his elder sibling for a long moment, unable to fathom why Hub had said what he did. Upon hearing this, X was also looking at Zero with the same expression.

"Zero… Are you really going to…" X trailed off, his voice wavering as he was unable to finish the sentence. The red Navi remained oddly silent, but the implication was clear. Before the blue Navi could say anything, however, another barrage of energy shots rained down upon them, the explosion throwing the both of them across the floor.

"What are you two muttering about?" Harpuia asked as he walked closer towards the two downed Navies. "Have you given up already?" At this, the guardian floated up into the air, raising both his hands, another ball of energy forming in between them. "Such a shame. And here we were thinking that you might be different from all the other Navies who had challenged us before."

Watching the ball of energy crackle and grow larger, Zero struggled to his feet. He summoned his blade and turned to his companion. "X! Get out of here now!"

"Are you crazy?!" X yelled back, summoning his own weapon and pointing it at the guardian. "I'm not leaving you behind!"

"This isn't the time for this!" It was Hub this time. "If you stay, you'll be dele-"

He was cut off abruptly, recoiling in shock; Netto had slapped him across the face.

"Get ahold of yourself!" Netto was yelling at this point. "Do you even hear what you're saying?"

"What are you talking about?" Hub was in a state of shock and disbelief.

"We've said that no matter what happens, we'll have each other to rely on, right?" Netto continued. "That's why I'm not going to let you do this, and I'm not going to leave Zero behind, either!"

"We've set out on this journey to become stronger together, haven't we?" X was echoing his operator's sentiment completely as he addressed the red Navi besides him. "I'm not going to run away- We started this together, and we'll finish this together as well!"

"...!"

Both Hub and Zero were stunned silent. "...That's right. We've overcome everything we faced up until now by sticking together, and having each other's backs, haven't we…" Hub said softly as he recalled the battles he and his younger sibling had, a small smile crossing his features at the realization.

"What a useless sentiment…" Harpuia was obviously not impressed. Aiming his attack at X and Zero, he prepared to fire his final energy blast at the two, when orbs of light began to light out through the dim area. "What…?"

The other three guardians appear to have noticed the change in their surroundings as well. "Wh-what's happening?" Fefnir was confused.

"This never happened before…" Leviathan was worried as well.

"Could it be!" The four guardians turned to Pharaohman, the ancient Navi had been silently observing their battle up until now. "Could it be- The Legendary Power is resonating with their will…!"

Then, within the many spheres of light shining throughout the shrine, two of the orbs descended onto the two red and blue Navies, encasing them within a bright light.

"Impossible!" The more perceptive of the four guardians quickly realized what was happening. "They've been deemed worthy by the Legendary Power itself!"

"I won't allow it!" Harpuia yelled as he fired the energy projectiles, the barrage of attacks speeding towards X and Zero, dust and smoke flying everywhere as each of the shots exploded. However, as both the light and the dust faded, the guardians and Pharaohman were completely shocked by what they saw.

The two Navies standing within the center of the wreckage were undoubtedly X and Zero, but the once blue Navi now had pale, white armour, while his companion had dark armour instead, and had a more sinister look to him.

"Wha…" Harpuia took a moment to regain his composure. "What sort of Style change is that?"

"Unbelievable…" Pharaohman uttered as he witnessed the new form of the two Navies. "Could this be the Ultimate Style and Absolute Style…?"

"What a load of bull!" Fefnir snarled, preparing another attack as he rushed forward to attack the two Navies. The other three guardians followed, also pouncing onto X and Zero. "There's still no way they can defeat the four of us-"

The two Navies were silent as the four guardians sped towards them. Then, they raised their hands in unison, creating a huge continuous wave of energy, completely knocking the four guardians back.

"What sort of power-" Realizing something was wrong, Pharaohman gasped. "Fall back-"

Then, the entire area was encased in blinding light.

* * *

In the distance, Rockman watched as the giant pyramid was completely annihilated in one fell swoop, the large structure completely brought to the ground, feeling the aftershocks of the large explosion of energy even at such a distance. Scuttlest clung onto one of his legs, while the Mettaur leaned against his other.

"They've done it." Shadowman sounded unwillingly surprised. "They have acquired the Legendary Power."

Despite himself, Rockman sighed in relief. Knowing that X and Zero shared the same relationship with their operators as he had with Netto, he had confidence that the two would be able to pass the trial of the four NetNavies guarding the Legendary Power, but being unable to interfere and only allowed to observe from a distance still made him uneasy, especially since he wasn't even able to tell what was going on in there.

But if what just happened was of any indication, then X and Zero have succeeded in their trial, and have gained the ability to Style Change in battle.

The blue Navi smiled. They would be able to defend themselves much better now; Rockman had experienced first-hand just how powerful the ability to Style Change was, and since he wasn't going to be needing it this time around, it was definitely better that X and Zero had it instead.

' _I wonder what Style Change they've acquired?'_ Rockman thought to himself.  _'Could it be the Ultimate Style like me?'_

He supposed he'll just have to see for himself, once the two of them have mastered it.


	64. Chapter 58 (H)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: In case you've missed it, my NSFW blog is "lgotnidim" on Tumblr. I'm trying to learn anatomy by drawing porn.

Once Rockman was sure that both X and Zero had returned to the surface net safely, he made his way back to the Undernet immediately. The Mettaur had returned to its village for the meantime, while Scuttlest had been trailing after him the entire time. He had just returned to his Undernet residence when Forte confronted him.

"Did you feel it?" The dark Navi asked.

Rockman blinked. "Feel what?"

"The wave of discharge energy." Forte said, frowning. "Something powerful had been released into the Undernet."

"A wave of energy…?" The blue Navi began pondering. He hadn't left the Undernet for that long, and if Forte had felt it, then whatever or whoever had unleashed that sort of energy through the Undernet had to be quite powerful…

' _Wait.'_  A sudden thought had crossed the blue Navi's mind.  _'Could it be…'_

"Oh." Rockman said as he realized something. "I think I know what it was."

Forte raised an eyebrow, though he didn't question him. "Go on."

"Well…" Rockman paused briefly, gathering his thoughts. "You know about the Legendary Power that's hidden somewhere deep inside the Undernet, right?"

"I've heard rumours about it." Forte seemed to suspect where the blue Navi was going with this.

"That Legendary Power was unleashed, so that wave of energy that you felt might have come from that." Rockman laughed embarrassedly. After he had gotten the ability to Style Change in his original timeline, his power had grown exponentially, to the point that his strength was enough to rival that of Forte's, and had even allowed the blue Navi to come out on top during his first battle with the Black Shadow. In hindsight, there was no possible way Forte wouldn't be able to sense a power of that scale suddenly appearing in the Undernet. The dark Navi had probably sensed it as well when he had been the one to acquire the Ultimate Style Change.

"Huh." Forte raised an eyebrow, most likely having thought that the rumours regarding such a power were just rumours. "And how did you know that the Legendary Power was unleashed?"

"I…" The blue Navi blushed when he realized he had unknowingly said more than he was supposed to once more. "...Because, I was there. When it happened."

"Hm." The dark Naiv pressed on. "And who was it that unleashed that power?"

"It's… It's..." Rockman looked away, twirling his thumbs. His reaction was enough of an answer for Forte to guess who the NetNavi responsible for the discharge energy had been.

"Mega, seriously?" Forte sounded both annoyed and resigned at the same time. "You claim to want to keep them out of harm's way, and yet you intentionally lead them to the Legendary Power, knowing full well how dangerous it was and that their Navies could have very well been deleted?"

"I'm just trying to help them grow stronger!" Rockman blushed at having his contradicting actions being pointed out like that. "I wouldn't endanger them without reason, or without knowing that they'll be fine!"

The other Navi sighed, crossing his arms, but decided that he didn't want to argue with Rockman on this matter. "Fine. Which of them was it?"

"Huh?"

"Which of the two was the one who obtained the Legendary Power?" Forte elaborated.

"Oh." Rockman thought back to the prior events. "It was the both of them, I think."

"Both of them?" The disbelief was obvious in Forte's voice.

"Yeah." The blue Navi was beaming. "I saw it in the distance. The two of them had Style Changed. Both of their appearances were different."

"Style Change?" The dark Navi asked, never having heard that term before.

"It's some sort of sudden change to a NetNavi's code that allows them to gain special abilities, like an increase in attack strength, or the ability to fully customize all of your attacks." Rockman smiled as he explained. "But I'm still not sure what sort of Style Change X and Zero had gained, though."

The other Navi had fallen quiet, as if considering his words, before he stepped closer to Rockman. "For someone who's not interested in rumours among the Undernet, you sure do know a lot about them."

His words made Rockman pause, the blue Navi unable to read Forte's expression as the dark Navi leaned closer to him. "...Does this also has to do about whatever you are unable to tell me?"

"..." Rockman brought his hand to his cheek. He shouldn't really be surprised by how perceptive Forte was at this point. "...I'm sorry."

The conflict was apparent in the other Navi. The two of them had talked about this before, and Rockman had still maintained that there was some things he wasn't able to tell Forte, for reasons unknown to the other, and Forte had really only allowed that to slide because he couldn't feel any sort of contempt or ill-will from the blue Navi.

"Will there be a time when you're able to tell me?" Forte asked, regarding him closely.

"...I don't know." Rockman said; He would be lying if he had said otherwise- The blue Navi was still very much worried of how Forte would react to the fact that he'd been blasted to the past from the future, and that was if he even believed the blue Navi in the first place. Rockman couldn't deny that it was slightly selfish of him to do so.

Forte's expression remained unchanged, but he seemed to accept Rockman's answer for now. "...At least you're honest about that."

"Forte- I don't, I don't enjoy this, either." Rockman attempted to explain.

"I know." Forte didn't appeared bother by his attempt to defend himself. "I still don't know what it is, but I can feel it's causing you a great deal of distress." There was a slight pause. "I hope that's the only thing you're hiding from me."

"I've been honest about everything else." Rockman could say that with unwavering certainty. "I would never lie to you deliberately, Forte. And I won't keep anything from you if I can help it. You know that."

"...You better not." Now that the bulk of their concern had passed, something in Forte's tone had changed. The dark Navi reached a hand over a placed a hand on the blue Navi's abdomen. "I would hate to know if you've been hiding something else from me all this time."

"What…?" The other's sudden change in tone and behaviour confused him greatly, before Rockman abruptly realized what the other Navi was implying. His face blushing a deep shade of red instantly, and he swatted Forte's hand away from him. The blue Navi further flustered in embarrassment when the other raised an eyebrow at his reaction.

"I'm not hiding your child inside of me, Forte!" Rockman yelled, a bit too loudly. Even if he had been a female NetNavi, it would still be impossible for him to get pregnant with another NetNavi's child; NetNavies just didn't have the proper programming to allow their bodies to absorb or process the data of another NetNavi to simulate human pregnancy. At most, their bodies would just treat the foreign data as spare data and absorb it.

"Wait." Forte held him tight as he attempted to back away. "I want to see for myself."

Rockman gasped and shivered softly as Forte began to run his hands down his body, teasing and rubbing at the places where he knew the blue Navi was most sensitive, and when he had finally gotten around to Rockman's thighs, the blue Navi was already shaking, clinging onto the larger Navi as his insides tightened. He jerked slightly when Forte trailed his hand up his inner thigh, blushing when the other's fingers pressed against that opening in between his legs, feeling the slight wetness there.

"You want it now?" Forte had the gall to sound surprised.

"Who's fault is that?!" Rockman snapped back, completely flustered.

"I was just checking to see if you were with child." Somehow, Forte still maintained his innocent facade.

"You…" The blue Navi was shaking. He didn't know how to put it into words.

"Don't worry. I won't leave you hanging." Before Rockman could react, Forte had forced the both of them onto the floor, tearing off his skinsuit. The blue Navi was only allowed a moment to realize what was happening before Forte had guided his legs open, and pushed his way inside.

"Hn!" Rockman quivered, his inner walls clutching awkwardly around the larger Navi's length. His body had gotten so used to the other Navi being inside of him that the stretch was only slightly uncomfortable. "For-Forte…!"

"I've got you." The other Navi quickly took hold of his waist, steadying him as he began thrusting into him, managing to coax out a small whine from the smaller Navi with each inward push.

"Ahn… Hnn…"

"Hm." Forte bit the base of his neck lightly, just as the tip of his length nudged again the smaller Navi's inner opening. "Are you sure you're not hiding my kid in there?"

The reaction was immediate. Blushing furiously, Rockman slapped one hand over the larger Navi's mouth. "That's not- A-ah! Hh-nn, n-not true…!"

The dark Navi took hold of the smaller Navi's wrist, easily moving them away as he snapped his hips forward. The Navi below him letting out a sharp cry as that innermost part of him was rammed into with more force than before, his soft walls shuddering and clutching with every thrust, a small gush of slick already leaking out from in between his legs.

Forte wasn't deterred. Moving slightly so that he could thrust down at that spot inside of the smaller Navi more effectively, he leaned in and said against Rockman's ears. "You can't be too careful with these things."

Rockman's eyes went wide. "Forte! Don't-"

Any other protest he wanted to get out quickly descended into a series of incoherent cries and sobs, his entire body shaking and his insides clenching tightly in overstimulation as that soft opening in him was repeatedly forced against and stimulated, the slick his body produced only allowed Forte to slide in with ease despite his tightness. He came with a harsh shudder, his soft walls quivering in delight. The blue Navi whined as he felt himself being filled, the familiar warm flooding him and pooling snugly inside of him.

When Rockman had recovered slightly from his orgasm, he glared briefly at the Navi on top of him. "Asshole." He panted.

Forte was strangely quiet for a moment. Then, Rockman jumped when he felt the other Navi reach a hand, touching his other opening  _there-_

"Forte!" Rockman yelled at him. "That's not what I meant- A-aahhn!"

"Don- A-ah! S-sto-Oh… Stop…!"

"N-Nhhhh… Ah-hnnn…"


	65. Yokai Scandal 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry for the shorter chapter, but for some reason I just started to sneeze constantly and my nose was running the entire time I was writing this. Fuck. Anyways, Yokai Scandal was originally planned to be a threeparter, but have since spiraled out of control. Also, when will Forte stop referring to Rockman as an "it" and as "he" lol.

"Uh…"

Forte looked up from where he was seated, raising an eyebrow at what he saw. Leaning against the frame of the doorway was the small form of the Siren, clutching his cloak in its arms. It was now wearing a soft, purple and pale coloured dress, and Forte briefly wondered how and why Serenade would even have that sort of clothing in his possession in the first place.

The Siren's wings seemed to twitch nervously as Forte stared at it, the sight of the single-eyed Demon most likely intimidating to the other creature. It visibly took a second to work up the courage to walk forward towards him and handed the Demon his cloak.

"Here…" The Siren said, quickly. "...Thanks for, uh… lending me your cloak…"

The Demon remained quiet, unsure of how to react. He was still slightly unused to the fact that the other creature was now able to speak to him in his own language.

"...Hn." Forte murmured as he slipped his cloak back on, the familiar weight of it resting on his shoulders. "...Thanks."

Expecting the Siren to retreat back from where it'd come from, the Demon was future surprised when the winged creature sat down next to him- It was a polite distance away from him, not too far to be disrespectful, but not too close to be awkward.

"Um…" Fidgeting nervously, the Siren began speaking. "My… My name is Rockman." It then paused, as if it hadn't considered what it was supposed to say after that. "I'm… Uh, you probably already know this, but, I'm a Siren. I'm not really familiar with anything in the Undernet, but-"

"What are you doing?" Forte asked the Siren, growing more and more confused at the other creature's attempt at conversation.

The Siren flustered, the feather on its wings puffing up in embarrassment. "Isn't it obvious? I'm trying to talk to you."

The Demon raised his other eyebrow. "Why?"

"B-because." The Siren bit one of its nails. "It would be awkward otherwise, wouldn't it?"

"What?"

"I mean- I'm going to be here for a while, right?" The Siren explained. "And… It would be weird, if we didn't at least know something about each other…"

"..." The demon regarded the other in disbelief and slight curiosity. He didn't think the Siren would have wanted anything to do with him after what he's done. "Aren't you afraid of me?"

"...Kind of." The Siren admitted. "...I've never seen a Demon before. And you're sort of scary."

"..."

If anything, Forte could appreciate it for being honest.

"But that doesn't mean we should isolate each other, right?" The winged creature continued, twirling one of its feathers in between its fingers. "Besides, it would be rude of me. I'm staying in your home, after all."

"...You shouldn't associate yourself with me." Forte said, looked away. "You aren't the only one I've done terrible things to."

The Siren was quiet for a while, and Forte was content to think that it had accepted what the Demon had said, until it spoke again.

"I… I don't know what you might have done, but…" The Siren appeared to be struggling with its words. "Maybe, maybe you've did something really bad- But… I don't think you're a bad person, persey."

Forte paused, and stared at the Siren, completely confused; Bad people do bad things- If someone did something bad, then that meant they were a bad person. It was so simple. How did it not understand that?

"Well… Serenade's your friend, isn't he?" The Siren's wings were twitching nervously as it explained. "And… I think he's a nice person."

Forte frowned. "What…?"

"And, I think nice people tend to attract other nice people around them." The other continued, rubbing the side of its arm timidly. "So… Maybe you've done something really bad- I wouldn't know. But... If you were really as bad as you said you were…" The Siren trailed off, allowing Forte to draw his own conclusions with the implication he was given. "So… that's why- Bad people may do bad things, but doing bad things doesn't mean the person is inherently bad themselves."

"..."

Unbelievable.

"...So… What's this thing that you're doing?" Seeing that the Demon was obviously uninterested in continuing that conversation they were having, the Siren decided to change the subject. "...It's all a bunch of red and green pebbles…"

"It's the Undernet equivalent of chess." The Demon sighed, tapping one of the pieces lightly on the table in thought.

"Chess?" The word sounded foreign on its tongue, as if there wasn't an Aetherian word for it.

"...It's a sort of game that some creatures in the Undernet play." Forte explained. "Two people play against each other, moving the pieces on the board until certain conditions are met, of which there will be a victor and a loser."

"..." The Siren had fallen silent, and Forte was almost waiting for it to point out the obvious. "But… you're playing by yourself."

"Hm." The Demon acknowledged the fact. "I am attempting to solve one of the EndGames scenarios which may appear in the game."

"EndGame scenario?"

"An EndGame scenario occurs when it appears that one of the players have undoubtedly lost the game." The Demon said as he moved one of the pieces. "Their opponent holds the upper hand, and one wrong move could end the entire game for them."

"Then… If that's true, then how can it be solved?"

"Just like the player, every EndGame scenario has a fatal flaw. It's all about seeing it and exposing it. At such high stakes, any single move will be enough to reduce the other player to rubble."

"...Is it hard?" The Siren asked.

"Easy to learn. Difficult to master."

"...Can I try?"

Forte looked up from the board, the rejection just on the tip of his tongue until he saw the other creature's expression. The Siren actually appeared intrigued and interested, even if it didn't really understand what he was doing.

' _Do you even know what you're doing?'_  Forte wanted to ask it. How could any reasonable creature want anything to do with their captor? Were Sirens really so dense, or did it just happened to be this one?

Sighing, the Demon cleared the board and began going over the basics with the Siren.


	66. Chapter 59 (Internet City)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: If I'd known that people from Poland would be reading this fic, I would've asked for help regarding my linguistics homework much sooner. I fucking butchered the Polish language when I did my presentation.

"Forte!"

"What?"

"Internet City!"

That was how the two NetNavies found themselves wandering around the bustling Internet City in the surface net. It took some convincing on Rockman's part, but he'd manage to drag the other Navi out of the Undernet once more for another date after the whole WWW debacle. The two Navies had ditched their cloaks and helmets for the time being, and it seemed to have the desired effect; they were mostly ignored and treated just like any other surface Navi.

"Isn't it amazing?" The blue Navi asked, holding the other Navi's hand as they navigated the cyberworld city.

"...Hm." Even Forte appeared genuinely impressed. "I didn't think they would be able to create a cybernetic city of such a scale."

Rockman understood what Forte had meant. It had been a complete surprise to the blue Navi as well, when he had learned that the Internet City had been launched. The city acted as sort of a main central for all internet activities, allowing operators and NetNavies from all over DenCity to connect without having to jump from server to server, and while the Internet City also existed in his original timeline, its development and implementation was greatly sped up in this one, only launching long after the collapse of Gospel, and the scale of the Internet City he had been familiar with could in no way compare to this iteration of the Internet City. If Rockman hadn't suspected it before, this would be the final proof that he needed to confirm that whatever he had done in this timeline might have sped up the technological advancements in this timeline, directly or indirectly.

Speaking of Gospel, however…

Leaning against Forte and twirling a stray thread of hair around his finger, Rockman briefly pondered over the lack of information and activity he had managed to gather regarding Gospel. Knowing that his interference with WWW was already beginning to have a visible impact on the cyberworld only unsettled him further. He doubted that it was because Gospel didn't exist in this timeline, considering this new group was inspired by the actions of WWW. Could it be that Gospel had learned from what happened to WWW, and that had prompted them to go on high alert and stay completely off the radar? That could be possible. Sean, if he was still the leader of this iteration of Gospel, wasn't known for his genius for nothing.

...Perhaps he shouldn't have put it like that. Hadn't Sean been indoctrinated into creating Gospel by an external group of people studying the dark energy in the first place? But the blue Navi hadn't been able to find anything regarding that after scouring the Undernet for information, either.

It was worrying, to say the least.

"While I'm not sure what you were hoping to achieve by coming to the surface net, but if it was to sulk, you could have done just as well doing that in the Undernet."

Snapping back to full awareness, Rockman turned to Forte, slightly embarrassed. "Ah! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to space out like that."

The other Navi gave him a look. "I would also appreciate it if you can refrain from tying knots in my hair."

Blushing, Rockman withdrew his hand, just now realizing he'd been unconsciously playing with Forte's hair while he had been thinking. "Sorry about that." Then, he added, after a brief pause. "...I'm still surprised you have long hair though, Forte."

"..." The dark Navi looked away slightly. "Does it look bad?"

"No! That's not what I meant!" Rockman exclaimed. "It's just, unexpected." The blue Navi had never seen the other Navi without his helmet before, and had always assumed that the other would have short, messy hair like himself underneath his headgear, which was why the blue Navi had been surprised to see the long, well-kept white hair when Forte had removed his helmet. "But… I think it fits you." Rockman added. Forte's finned helmet had always given him a sort of intimidating look, like how a cobra snake would flare its hood up to appear more threatening. But the dark Navi's long, flowing hair was a complete contrast to how Forte was usually perceived by other people. It seemed to show a more gentler side of the Black Shadow that many others would probably never expect him to have.

Forte didn't say anything, but Rockman could see that the other appeared to have felt his thoughts, the blue Navi smiling to himself as he felt Forte's grip on his hand tighten slightly.

"...Huh?" Out of the corner of his eye, Rockman noticed something in one of the shops lining the paths, and Forte allowed himself to be dragged into store by the blue Navi.

Picking up the datapad from the shelf, Rockman frowned in thought as he looked over the cover of the book. It was oddly familiar, but the blue Navi couldn't quiet place where he'd seen it before.

"...I didn't know you were interested in this sort of thing…" Forte commented as he saw the cover of the book. It appeared to be some sort of action or fantasy fiction judging by the two teenage boys on the cover, one wielding some sort of steampunk gun, the other holding what appears to be a blade that would be too unconventional to actually use in battle. There were also a bunch of people with pale blue skin in the background that Forte suspected probably weren't human, and Rockman blushed when he realized how ridiculous he must appear right now.

"I- I was just wondering where I've seen this book before!" The blue Navi said, a bit too loudly.

"THAT'S ONE OF OUR BEST SELLERS, LUNAR KNIGHTS!" Apparently having overheard their conversation, one of the programmes floated over to the two NetNavies.

"Lunar Knights…?" Once again, the name was familiar to Rockman, but he just couldn't quite place it.

"THE NOVELIZATION OF THE POPULAR ANIMATION OF THE SAME NAME!" Even with its monotone voice, the programme was somehow able to sound enthusiastic about it. "PACKED FULL OF ACTION AND AN AMAZING PLOT- EVERY PAGE IS AN EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER!"

"Huh… So it's a novelization…?" Rockman said to himself. Then, he remembered.

' _Wasn't this the same book that Serenade was reading?'_

Well, if Serenade was interested in this, then it couldn't possible be too bad, could it…?

"Okay. I'll buy this. How much is it?" Rockman asked the programme.

"IT'S 5000 ZENNIES!"

"..."

Well, if anything had remained the same from his previous timeline, it was the ridiculous price tag for everything in the cyberworld.

"...Mega?" Forte gently drew his attention. Looking up, he saw that the other Navi was looking out one of the large glass windows of the shop.

"What is it?" The blue Navi didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

"Don't you hear that?" Forte asked him.

"Hear wha-" Rockman trailed off as he noticed it.

"OH DEAR!" The programme had gone from enthusiastic to worried in an instant. "WHAT'S GOING ON?"

Rockman frowned. He'd never seen anything of the sort before, and judging by the programme's reaction, he didn't think it was a natural occurrence, either.

"It's raining inside the internet…?" The blue Navi murmured as the droplets of rain outside only grew larger and louder.


	67. Chapter 60

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Anyone have any tips on being more productive? I always feel guilty for not being productive enough and wasting time.

"Let's do this! Rockman X, Ultimate Style!"

The blue Navi raised both hands in a dramatic fashion, letting out some sort of rallying cry, before what quickly followed was a brief moment of awkward silence and then the loud round of laughter of his friends.

"Are you serious, Netto?" Dekao snorted once he'd recover from his laughter. "You didn't have to lie to us just to feel better about yourself!"

"But it's true!" The younger Hikari insisted. "We went to the Undernet and X performed a Style Change!" Then, he turned to his elder sibling. "Nii-san, tell them!"

The group of friends turned their attention to Hub Hikari, the boy unsure of what to do having the spotlight being shined on him so suddenly. "Er… W-well…"

"Come on, Netto-kun." Even Maylu seemed to have trouble containing her giggles. "It's not nice to drag your brother into this."

"Not you too, Maylu-chan!"

"Say, what's a 'Style Change', anyways?" Yaito pondered out loud. "It sounds familiar, but I'm not sure where I've heard it before…"

"I think I've heard my father discuss this before." Tohru said. "If I remembered correctly, it's some sort of sudden change in a NetNavi's code which allows them to specialize in a certain ability." Then, he shrugged. "But I don't think anyone has actually able to trigger a Style Change in their NetNavies."

"Ha! So it really was a hoax, after all!" Dekao didn't seem to want to let the matter drop, much to the younger Hikari's dismay.

"Say, have you guys heard the news?" Seeing his chance to change the subject, the elder Hikari interjected. "They've just launched the Internet City in DenCity's cyber world."

That caught the attention of the rest of the group. "Oh, that's right!" Maylu smiled. "I heard they've been developing the Internet City for a while in SciLabs- It was lucky that none of the data got damaged when WWW attacked SciLabs!"

"Huh? What's so impressive about that?" Dekao wasn't impressed. "Isn't it just another area in the internet?"

"Of course not!" Yaito exclaimed. "The Internet City is going to be the main central of DenCity's internet! Everyone can access any area in DenCity's cyberworld from anywhere through the Internet City! Do you know how incredible that is?"

"We should go onto the Internet City once we get home!" Tohru added. Dekao was mumbling something to himself in the background. "I heard it's really big! We can spend the rest of the day exploring it!"

"Alright then!" Hub said, pulling his younger sibling behind him. "We'll see you guys on the net!" With that, the two of them left the classroom.

"...Sheesh." Once they were a significant distance away from their group of friends, Netto turned to his elder sibling. "Nii-san, you saw it, too- X and Zero had Style Changed! Why didn't you say anything?"

Hub sighed. "It can't be helped. We've been trying to perform Style Change, but we still aren't able to do it. Even if we continue insisting that we could, there was no way the others would believe us."

Netto, the more stubborn of the two, was still reluctant to let it go. "I don't understand! There must be something we're missing! Both X and Zero could Style Change before, so why can't we trigger it now?"

"We'll worry about that later." Hub attempted to reassure his younger sibling. "Right now, let's just go back home and meeting everyone else in the Internet City!"

* * *

"Look at this place- It's amazing!"

Once the group of friends had returned home, they had plugged their NetNavies into the cyber world, their group of NetNavies now exploring the vastness of the Internet City.

"It's really something." Zero said as he looked around. "The scale of this city is larger than anything I've ever seen before."

"It makes sense, doesn't it?" X smiled. "They designed the Internet City to be the central point of the cyberworld in DenCity, after all."

"I noticed a lot of store vendors around the city as well." Roll added. "I guess the city is drawing in many online businesses as well, since a place that connects all internet access would mean more traffic." Then, the pink Navi grinned. "So, any ideas where we should go next?"

Before anyone in the group could answer, a loud rumble, sounding oddly like thunder, was heard throughout the city.

"...Huh?"

Raising his hand, Rockman X was surprised to feel actual droplets of water landing on his palm. Looking to Rockman Zero besides him, he saw that the other Navi had also confirmed what he had been suspecting.

It was raining in the Internet City.

"Rain inside of the Cyberworld?" Seeing the entire thing through his PET, Netto was confused by the natural occurrence inside of the internet. "Maybe it's some sort of programme they made to simulate rain inside the internet…?"

"I doubt that…" Hub appeared to have noticed something. "Look over there."

From the distance, the taller buildings inside the Internet City were disintegrating, damaged data breaking off from the building and dissipating into thin air.

"It's acid rain!" Iceman gasped. "It's eating away at the buildings!"

"If it damages the main structure of the Internet City, the city might collapse in on itself!" Roll said as she realized the possible damage the rain could cause if it continued.

"So it can't be natural rain." X frowned. "But what could be causing it?"

"I think I know what it is." Zero pointed towards the dark clouds looming over them. "Look closer."

"My goodness!" Glyde was completely stunned by what he saw; hundreds of Cloudy viruses were lining up, making small, cooing noises in unison as the rainclouds they created continued to pour. "The sky's absolutely filled with viruses!"

"Guts?" Gutsman appeared to have noticed something as well, the large Navi turning to the sound of other NetNavies screaming and running in terror as hordes of viruses began to pour in from seemingly nowhere. "Viruses are everywhere, guts!"

"This can't be just a coincidence that so many viruses just happened to gather in the Internet City all at once." X frowned. "It has to be an attack. Someone's intentionally releasing all of these viruses into the city."

"Which means they have to be sending the viruses from somewhere." Zero followed on his train of thought. "If we can locate where the viruses are being sent from, we can stop this virus attack!"

"What? Isn't that dangerous?" Roll was concerned for the safety of her friends.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine." X gave her a small smile. "Zero and I will look for the source of the viruses together. That way, we won't be caught off guard."

The pink Navi was obviously still hesitant to let the two do something that might endanger them, but she nodded. "...Alright. You two be careful. The rest of us will help with the virus situation here the best we can." There was a brief pause, before she added. "Stay safe, okay?"

"We will." Giving her one last nod, X and Zero took off. "You guys be careful as well! We'll find the source of the viruses and stop this attack!"


	68. Chapter 61

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Anyone played Detroit: Become Human? First AstroBoy, then Megaman, and then My Life as a Teenage Robot and Transformers and now this, it seems like I can't stay away from robot characters lol. My fav in DBH is definitely Connor, though. I sort of have a soft spot for characters who looks like cinnamon rolls but can fucking kill you without blinking an eye.

"X, have you managed to track down where the viruses are coming from yet?" Zero yelled as a Spiky virus leapt at him, the red Navi summoning his sword and cutting the wolf-like virus in half before it could sink its fangs into him.

"I'm almost done scanning this area, give me a few more moments!" X turned, shooting a buster shot at another one of the Spiky viruses just as it opened its jaw to breath a wave of fire at the two. The red and blue Navies had been unfortunate enough to stumble across a pack of these Spiky viruses during their search, and now had to fend off the bunch of violent viruses.

Zero nodded, bringing his sword down at yet another virus, the Spiky yelping and jumping back as it was cut, but the rest of the pack were still circling them like prey. "Better hurry- I'm not sure how long we have until the Internet City collapses from the acid rain and all these viruses tearing up the place!"

"I've got it!" X's eyes lit up, he turned to one of the paths down the road. "Come on- This way!"

Zero followed his companion as he led the way, but it seems the pack of Spiky viruses didn't intent on letting the two Navies escape just like that. They ran after X and Zero, snarling and growling in rage.

"They're still following us?" Looking behind him, X turned his buster back into his hand. "Take that!" The blue Navi threw a series of mini bombs at the viruses chasing them, the explosion deleting some of the viruses, and leaving the rest of them confused as they got lost within the smoke, allowing the two Navies to escape.

"Nice one." Zero grinned at the other once they've successfully managed to loose the pack of viruses. X smiled back.

"Wait, we're here." X came to a stop to where he had determined the viruses to have come from. "Look!"

The two Navies stepped closer carefully as they saw the large crater in the middle of the ground. Looking over the edge, the hole seemed to lead completely downwards.

"This is where the viruses are coming from?" Zero asked, slightly skeptical.

"It's what my scanners picked up." X replied. Then, the blue Navi noticed something. "Ah! Zero, lookout!"

The two Navies jerked back just in time for a large Lavagon virus to shoot out from the crater, the dragon-like virus screeching and spreading its wings as it fled towards the sky, fortunately paying X and Zero no mind, but unfortunately, had gone on to set fire to the buildings of a nearby area.

"...Well, there's your proof." X turned to his companion. "Wherever the viruses are being sent from, it has to be down this hole."

"The viruses are coming from down there, huh?" Hub frowned slightly, communicating with his NetNavi through his PET. "I can't even see the bottom of it…"

"We don't have time to think about it! We have to find the source of the viruses and destroy it now!" Netto insisted. "X, let's go!"

The two Navies nodded to each other, before they took a step forward, and jumped.

* * *

"X, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." X said as he took Zero's hand, getting to his feet. The two of them had landed in a large body of water, and had just made it back to solid ground. "That was quite the fall…" Looking back up, neither of the Navies were able to see the crater from where they'd fall down from.

"...X, look." Zero appeared to have noticed something. Turning his head to where Zero was pointing at, X looked back to where they had swam up from, noticing the water seemed to be going somewhere. Then, a virus or two would appear, being swept up by the current, and carried to elsewhere.

"It seems that's how they're transporting the viruses to the city." Zero concluded, looking ahead. "If we follow the current, we'll find the source soon enough."

"Alright." Nodding, X turned to the path ahead. "Let's go!"

Wasting no time, the two Navies sped ahead, following the the trail of viruses being washed away by the current, until the path they were on led into a wide opening, the two of them being greeting by some sort of giant structure.

"Ah!" Rockman X gasped, quickly realizing what was happening. "The viruses are being dropped off into the water from there!" True to his observations, the structure appears to be pushing a line of viruses towards the current of water leading out of the area, before dropping the viruses into the water and allowing them to be carried away into the city.

"So this is where they're all coming from!" Forming his hand into a sword, Zero prepared to slice the giant machine in half. "Once we destroy it, we'll stop the virus attack!"

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that."

"!"

The two Navies reacted just in time for a slash of wave to collide into the ground before them.

"You again?!" The younger Hikari recognized that voice. He'd heard it before.

Floating down from the air, a familiar winged figure appeared before them. "...And here I thought you'd have some appreciation for suspense. Sheesh."

"You're Swallowman!" Hub recognized the NetNavi as well as he landed before X and Zero. "You're responsible for the virus attack last time, and now this- Don't tell me it's WWW who's behind this attack as well!" Realizing the bird NetNavi was a mercenary and likely working for someone, Hub didn't think he would be in charge of the virus attack himself, but most likely just overseeing the operation like last time.

"Really? WWW? Didn't you completely destroy that organization ages ago?" The Navi mock sighed. "Come on- I thought you were supposed to be the smart one!"

"Then who is it?" Netto seemed to have caught on as well. "Who's paying you?"

Grinning mysteriously, the bird Navi spread his wings. "Gospel."

"Gospel?" Hub wasn't sure what it was, but he doubted it was anything good.

"Some sort of group who seems to share WWW's goals- Whatever. I couldn't care less." With a flap of his wings, Swallowman was airborn once more. "This is the part where I would offer you the opportunity to leave, but Gospel has also paid be to do something else."

"Oh yeah? And what's that?" Netto frowned, missing the baited trap, and was completely caught off guard when the bird Navi shot forward, knocking X and Zero back as he flew into the two Navies.

"Oh, not much." The bird Navi said, non-chapantly. "They've just offered me a small fortune to delete both of your NetNavies."

"As if we'll let that happen!" Recovering quickly, X fired a charged shot at the mercenary, but the shot just bounced off Swallowman's wings as he folded them up over himself, protecting him from the blast. Sensing his opening, Zero dashed forward, swinging his sword at his target, but his attack was swiftly intercepted as the bird Navi grabbed his forearm and twisted, the red Navi yelling out in pain.

"Feh." With a flick of his hand, Swallowman tossed Zero aside, the red Navi landing with a loud thud. Turning his attention to X, an idea formed in the bird Navi's mind. "Let's see if you've learnt anything from last time."

Suspecting what his opponent's intentions were, the blue Navi fired several shots at Swallowman, attempting to defend himself, but the bird Navi was quicker, dodging out of the way of his attacks swiftly and knocking him onto the group once more. X gasped, struggling to get back up.

Slamming his foot down onto the blue Navi, Swallowman pinned him down, and all the air was forced out of X's lungs.

"X!" Alarmed, Zero wanted to rush forward to aid his friend, but was stopped when Swallowman stepped on X once more, wagging his finger at him.

"Ah-ah." The bird Navi grinned wickedly. "Once more step and I stomp your friend's pretty little face in."

"...!"

Seeing the red Navi pause and hesitate, Swallowman sighed dramatically. "And here I thought you might have learned something. Shame."

"Let him go!" Hub appeared frantic now as well.

"Tsk." Swallowman shrugged. Raising one of his hands, the bird Navi formed his hand into a sword. "Guess you should've known better, huh?"

"Stop it!" Zero screamed. "Stop it right now!"

As Swallowman brought his sword down, something happened. A bright light engulfed the entire area, blinding the bird Navi. Forced to shield his eyes, Swallowman turned to the source of the light, and was completely stunned by what he saw.

"What the fu-"

The entire area shook and trembled, before the machines were brought down in an instant.


	69. Chapter 62

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Made a safe for work art blog on Tumblr for all my LGOTN drabbles and arts, because I realize that's probably a lot more convenient for more people instead of Art Amino. It's "sfwlgotn" on tumblr. Will work on uploading arts onto the blog in the next several days.

"So this is where the comotion had come from…"

Rockman was walking down the dimly lit tunnel, his hood safety back over his head. Shadowman was just behind him as the two Navies headed towards where the source of the sudden quake in the Internet City. Forte had originally wanted to accompany him, but the blue Navi had managed to convince him otherwise; considering the dark Navi's reputation, it would most like cause mass panic throughout the cyberworld if it was even just rumoured that the Black Shadow even had anything remotely to do with the virus attack. Besides, Rockman had enough faith in his own strength to know that he wouldn't be in any real danger just to investigate what was going on, but the blue Navi suspected that the other was watching from the shadows, even if he couldn't sense him at the moment.

"I suspected there were underground tunnels in the city… But I didn't think they'd even have a sewage system for damage or unwanted data…" Rockman continued pondering to himself softly. Then, suddenly, a hissing sound echoed through the hallway. The blue Navi looked down to see Scuttlest snarling and chattering at something ahead of them. He had left the small, bug-like virus with Shadowman while he was in the Internet City with Forte. Shadowman had located him not long after the acid rain had begun pouring over the city, and Scuttlest had apparently decided that he wanted to tag along, too.

"What's wrong?" Rockman asked the virus, confused by its sudden aggressive behavior.

"I do not feel any energy signals…" Shadowman was puzzled as well, before the shadow Navi trailed off, having realized what was ahead. "...It's you."

There was a brief silence, followed by a cough. "Oh, give me a break- As if I don't have enough to worry about already."

As the group moved ahead slightly, Rockman saw some sort of bird-like Navi sitting with his back leaned against the wall, and was alarmed at the extent of damage the Navi had sustained- Both of his legs appeared to be damaged, and one of his arms had broken pieces of data flowing out of it. Out of habit, the blue Navi wanted to go over to help the unknown Navi, but Shadowman had stepped in front of him, shielding him from the other Navi.

"...Shadowman?" The action both confused and unnerved the blue Navi. It was as if the shadow Navi was actively protecting him from something. "What's going on? Do you know each other?"

"...He was the Undernet mercenary Navi from the tournament." Shadowman said, albeit unwillingly, and Rockman breathed in sharply.  _'...So that's why he's so on edge…'_

"Yes, yes, very nice to see you after all this time, how's the family, and all that shit." The Navi groaned, and fell into a coughing fit. Once he'd recovered, the bird Navi looked slightly behind Shadowman, a small smirk forming on his face. "...You know, I've suspected you were subservient to someone with how you're acting, but I never would've thought it was the fabled Blue Myth herself." He let out a short chuckle before addressing the blue Navi. "Had I known, I would have definitely presented myself better; freshened up, groomed my feathers, take a mint or two- Y'know, anything to impress the ladies."

"Don't talk so much. You're hurt." Even if he didn't know anything about the other Navi, Rockman was still concerned for him.

"Ah, so you're the sweet and caring type. I like you already." Giving Rockman a wink, the Navi turned back to Shadowman. "So? You gonna finish the job or what?"

"What damaged you?" Shadowman ignored him.

"Shit- I dunno! One moment I was about to fulfill one of my contracts, and the next moment I was attacked by some sort of monster!" The Navi coughed again. "There, I told you what you wanted to know. This is the part where you delete me now, isn't it?"

"..."

"...Weeeeell?"

"Are you actively seeking death?"

"Do you not want to delete me?"

"There would be no honor in killing you while you are unable to fight back." Shadowman frowned.

"...Only losers talk about honor." With that, the bird Navi heaved, leaning the back of his head against the wall. "Fine, if you're not going to kill me, you might as well leave me be."

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Rockman finally spoke out. "Your wounds…"

"I'm fine. Tis but a flesh wound." The Navi flashed him a grin.

"...Alright…" Although hesitant, the Navi didn't appear to be in any danger of being deleted in the near future, but the blue Navi now suspected that whatever or whoever had caused just extensive damage to this Navi was just up ahead. Knowing that made Rockman nervous; whatever it was, he couldn't afford to take it lightly. "Let's go."

He and Shadowman walked forward, and it took some urging on Rockman's part to get Scuttlest to follow, the bug virus being unusually hostile towards the wounded Navi. Just before they were out of hearing range, the Navi yelled for them. "Hey!"

The blue Navi turned back. "What is it?"

"...I don't do this often." The Navi said. "But you have to watch out."

"I know, thanks." Rockman smiled.

"No, no, not about that." The Navi wheezed. "Whatever is up there is probably gone already. There's something else you need to worry about."

"Huh?" That made the blue Navi blink. "What is it?"

"Gospel." The Navi began. "They actually ordered a hit on you, you know. For whatever reason, they've decided that you're a threat to them."

"What?" A wave of nervousness and uneasiness washed over him. "How do you know that?"

"Because. They actually offered me a shitton of Zennies to take care of you." The Navi let out a humourless laugh at that. "I refused, of course. I may be reckless, but I'm not suicidal. No Navi in the Undernet would be stupid enough to accept, regardless of how much they're paying." Then, the Navi appeared to make an attempt to lean forward. "...Well… Except for maybe one."

Rockman fell quiet for a moment. As he had feared, Gospel had indeed learnt from WWW's failed attempt at world destruction to pick him out as a potential threat to their future plans. While he was slightly relieved that he had enough rapport- or, more likely, infamy- within the Undernet to deterre Undernet mercenaries from hunting him down, he didn't know who the wounded Navi was suggesting would confront him despite this. "Who…?"

"Hm." The Navi gave him an ominous look. "Who else... other than the Black Shadow himself?"

"..."

The blue Navi blinked.  _'What?'_

"He's been eyeing you ever since you appeared in the Undernet." The Navi continued, sensing Rockman's confusing but completely mistaking the cause of it. "He wants nothing but power, and sooner or later, when Gospel realizes that no other Undernet Navies are willing to take up their offer, they're going to risk it and go to the Black Shadow, offering your powers as payment." The bird Navi paused in suspense. "And trust me, it won't be pretty when that happens."

"..."

Rockman turned back around when he felt a grin tugging at his lips.

' _Oh my god.'_

"Don't worry about me." The blue Navi replied, once he was certain he had the laughter threatening to burst out under control. "I'll be fine."

"If you're sure." Unable to see Rockman's expression, the bird Navi continued. "I would hate it if something happened to a sweet gal like you."

Brushing the Navi's words aside, the group continued onwards. Once they were out of sight, Swallowman hissed in pain.

' _Fuck. That shit was a lot harder to keep up than I expected.'_

Closing his eyes, the Navi groaned, deciding that he would attempt to stand up and leave once his limbs didn't feel like falling off. The tunnel was silent for several moments, before he heard the sound of distance footsteps approaching him once more.

' _...Seriously?'_  Swallowman cracked an eye open.  _'Who is it now…?'_

It was a bit hard to see in the dim light, but when his eyes had focused on the approaching figure, Swallowman felt himself go pale.

' _No way- It's the Black Shadow?!'_

Swallowman barely managed to suppress his fear as the Messenger of Darkness lurked closer, his dark, crimson eyes staring at him closely.

' _Fuck- Fuck! I'm going to die- He's going to delete me.'_  The bird Navi grit his teeth, unable to move.  _'Shit! If I'd known I was going to die I would've flirted with her more.'_

Once the cloaked figure was just a few steps away from him, Swallowman closed his eyes, preparing for his inevitable deletion. Instead, he felt a the shape of a shadow brush over him, and the sounds of footsteps beginning to fade. Daring to open his eyes, the bird Navi realized that the Black Shadow appeared completely transfixed on the road ahead- T direction where the Blue Myth had just left to.

As the figure of the Black Shadow faded, Swallowman let out a sigh of relief that he'd been spared, but the nagging worry was still eating away at the back of his mind.

' _As I suspected. She's being targeted by the Black Shadow… I hope I've warned her enough. It's only a matter of time before he catches up to her.'_


	70. Yokai Scandal 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: My favourite Canadian YouTuber is playing Detroit: Become Human, and the entire series is just him pretending to be a robot playing as androids pretending to be human. Never change, Northernlion.

As expected for someone who hasn't played any chess before, Rockman was shite at it. It was beginning to remember and keep track of all the rules and minute details of the game, but the siren still appeared oblivious to the fact that it was falling for all of the most obvious traps and believing all of the demon's bluffs during their games.

Perhaps that was in some part due to the siren's inability to just focus solely on the pieces on the board. The winged creature always seemed to have something to say in between turns.

"Um… So, what's the Undernet like? I haven't heard a lot about this place from other creatures. Someone told me the Undernet was a glacier, and everyone who fell into it would freeze to death instantly. It's a lot warmer than I expected, though."

"I really like the colour blue. It's a bit strange, because most other creatures I know tend to like the colour of their eyes, since it's the first thing they see whenever they look at their reflections. But blue feels a lot softer than green. I guess that's why my dress is blue… Er, I like this dress as well, but I hope I can get my own dress back- You didn't burn it, did you?"

"I wonder who came up with these chess pieces. Is there any reason why they would use red and green? Are these scribbles words in your language on the pieces as well? They look kind of weird, like boxes, but whatever's inside was really messy. Or is this just what a "Pawn" looks like? I haven't seen one before."

"Uh… You know, I'm actually, kind of glad that you're not as bad as the rumours I heard from the other creatures."

That particular comment caught Forte attention. He never considered the possibility that the siren might have heard of him prior to their meeting, and that had made him extremely uneasy- There were some things in his past he would rather not have brought up. "Whatever they were, they're false."

"Y-yeah. I'm glad they are." The demon's sudden harsh tone appeared to have startled the siren. "I… I was really scared at first. I've heard what happens to the other sirens who disappeared while they were in the Surface."

The demon blinked, realizing he had misunderstood what the other creature- The siren hadn't been referring to him when it had talked about rumours. It was talking about other sirens that might have been kidnapped in the same manner that it had been. "What did they say happened to the other sirens?"

"I don't know." The siren frowned. "No one really knows what happened to them. They never came back." Forte noticed the tip of the siren's wings beginning to twitch and quiver- He'd been playing against the siren for long enough to have picked up on its ticks whenever it appeared to feel uncertain or nervous.

"That's why, some people began coming up with what they think happened." The siren continued. "They weren't ever good. Sirens always ended up dead one way or another in those rumours. I tried not to let those stories bother me too much- I mean, it's not like anyone had any proof that that was what happened, right?" The winged creature paused briefly, and Forte wondered if it was trying to convince him or itself with what it just said. "But, there was this one that really, really scared me."

"Was it that bad?" The demon was slightly curious as to what the sirens thought of them.

"...I was younger when I heard it. It was after one siren had gone missing, and her friend had gone hysterical." The siren looked away, its wings quivering. "I… She was very upset, and I'd tried to tell myself that's why she'd said the things she did, but… she told everyone that, that Undernet creatures th-thought that our blood cured mortality, so they- they-"

"Alright, that's enough." Seeing how distressed the siren was getting, Forte reached over and took it's hand, squeezing it lightly. "What that siren had told you- I would never do it. And especially not to you. Nothing's going to happen to you until you return to the surface, okay?"

"Y-yeah. Okay." The siren sniffed softly. "I… I don't like to think about it, either."

"Go get some rest." He didn't think the siren would be concentrate enough to continue their current round of chess after that conversation. "You can use my bed. It's that room over there."

"Is that okay? It's your bed, after all…"

"It's fine. I don't sleep much."  _'And that's the least I can do to make up for kidnapping you against your will.'_

The siren paused, then smiled softly. "Okay. Thanks, Forte."

The demon watched as the siren got up and left. While he didn't know exactly what the winged creature had been told, he had a brief idea of what it was judging by how severely it had affected it.

Though it was heavily frowned upon, there was a rather infamous cult in the Undernet that had a ritual of bathing in blood. It wasn't all that unlikely that this ritual had made its way into the Surface and be picked up by the sirens there.

* * *

Serenade arrived early at his home next day, dragging Swallowman with him. Forte raised an eyebrow as he looked at the incubus.

"What's he doing here?" The demon hadn't forgotten that the incubs had a hand in escalating the situation.

"Yeah! What am I doing here- Ow!" Swallowman recoiled as Serenade swatted him at the back of his head.

"Get in." Shoving the incubus forward, Serenade quickly closed the door behind him.

"You could've just asked… Sheesh." Swallowman grumbled, rubbing the back of his head.

"And we could have avoided all of this if only you could stop screaming everything you know to the world." The sprite huffed.

"Uh… Is everything okay?" The group turned to the new voice. The siren was still half-asleep, rubbing its eyes and its feathers all ruffled and disturbed unevenly. Then, the sleep appeared to leave its eyes as it recognized Serenade. "Oh- Hi, Serenade!"

The Sprite smiled and waved back, and Swallowman was already getting ideas.

"Why hello, beautiful." The incubus said as he stalked closer, the siren slightly nervous but mostly confused by the sudden newcomer showing such a huge amount of interest in it. "I suspected were pretty, but damn!"

Seeing this, the demon stepped forward to stop him, but Serenade had grabbed his hand. "What're you doing?" Forte hissed at him. "Don't you see what he's doing? Why did you even bring him over here in the first place?"

"He's not going to do anything, I promise- I'll keep a close eye on him." Serenade whispered back. "Trust me, I'd rather not have him here, but we have to mask the scent somehow."

"What're you talking about?"

"Didn't you notice? There's a very unique scent surrounding that siren- It's very subtle. Creatures like you and I won't notice unless we pay attention to it, but other creatures with more acute senses are bound to notice it."

"What?" The demon wasn't sure how to feel about the fact that he'd spend around ten minutes subduing the siren and hadn't noticed that about it. "Alright, fine. But him of all people? Really?"

"It's the quickest way than letting other scents cling onto him over time." Serenade sighed. "Remember that time I had to ventilate my entire house?"

The demon grumbled, relenting but obviously unhappy about it.

"Look, it's not all bad." The sprite attempted to convince him. "That siren's going to be bored after a while cooped up in here, wouldn't it? Maybe you can show him around the Undernet after a while."

"I thought the point of keeping him here was so other creatures won't suspect he's a siren." Forte wasn't convinced.

"That's the point!" Serenade grinned. "If anyone asks, just say he's a harpy!"


	71. Chapter 63

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Since I've drawn a bunch of pictures for LGOTN, I've decided to turn them into stickers and placed several orders, which should be arriving within the next week. I'll post pictures of them once they're delivered, and if anyone wants them, maybe I can make more at a later date and put them online or something. Anyways, on with the story.

"Mistress, I sense a faint energy signal ahead."

"I guess that means we're getting close."

"I recognize it." Shadowman continued. "It's Rockman X's unique energy signature."

"X?" Rockman looked at the other Navi. "What about Zero?" The two Navies, much like their operators, were never found apart from each other.

"I cannot pick up Rockman Zero's signature." Shadowman replied, narrowing his eyes. "It would appear Rockman X is alone up ahead."

That worried the blue Navi greatly. "Maybe they'd gotten separated…" Then, a sudden thought occurred to him. "Could it have been something to do with whatever had attacked that other Navi?"

"It's very possible." The shadow Navi drew his sword as they neared the end of the corridor. "I shall proceed with caution."

As the two Navies entered the open area, Rockman gasped at the sight; The place looked completely destroyed, with piles of rubble and broken data everywhere.

"We have to find X quickly." Rockman said. "He might be hurt."

Shadowman nodded, before he went over to a small pile of debris in the area. "He's over here."

The two Navies began to dig through the pile of rubble, Scuttlest even helping in his own way by sifting through the small bits of damaged data with his small front legs. Shadowman dragged the Navi out from under the rubble once they'd managed to dig him out.

"X?" Rockman shook the unconscious Navi- He appeared to have sustained some damage, but Rockman didn't see anything that was life-threatening. "X, wake up."

"...Ugh…" The Navi coughed, before his eyes flickered open. "Wh-what?"

"X, it's me."

The Navi's eyes snapped wide open as he jolted to full alertness. "Ah- It's you…" X paused for a brief moment, as if attempting to recall something. "You… You said that your name was Mega, right?"

Rockman nodded. "X, what happened? The Internet City was attacked, and a sudden quake had shot throughout the city. We found you like this at the source of all the commotion."

"I thought you might know- You tend to follow these disasters, right?" X frowned as he sat up and began to recount previous events. "Well… When the city was attacked, Zero and I tracked the source of the virus attack here-" He stopped abruptly as he realized something. "Zero! Is he alright?"

"I don't know. We only found you in here." X's reaction only confirmed Rockman's suspicions that something might have happened that separated the two. "Did something happen here?"

"Darn…" The thought that his friend had gone missing seemed to have worried him greatly. "I'm- I'm not too sure what happened myself. All I remembered was that Swallowman was about to delete me, then Zero had Style Changed and started to attack him. I got knocked out when the machine transporting the viruses into the Internet City had collapsed from one of Zero's blasts. When I woke up, I saw you guys."

Rockman felt a sense of dread overtake him as X finished retelling his experience.  _'It's not what I think it is- is it?'_

"Mega, I know it sounds crazy, but it's true- Zero had Style Changed!" X explained, mistaking Rockman's concern for skepticism. "I know I can't prove it, but…"

"It's okay. I know what Style Change is, and I trust you when you said Zero had the ability to perform it." Rockman told the other Navi, reassuring him. It appeared to have worked, as X visibly relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief.

"...Wait, you actually believe me?" The relief was quickly followed by surprise. "Why?"

"That's not important right now." Rockman quickly deflected the question. He needed to confirm whether his suspicion was true or not. "Can you reach your operator? Maybe Hub would know where Zero is?"

The other Navi slapped the side of his head. "Oh, that's right! Let me try…" X trailed off, frowning as he realized something. "It's no good. My communications programme is damaged. I can't reach Netto-kun."

"Here." Taking X's hand, Rockman activated the spare Battle Chip data he had for the Recovery chip, repairing the other NetNavi's programme. "Try again now."

"U-uh… Th-thanks." X blushed as he took his hand back, and Rockman tried not to let the other Navi's reaction affect him too much. This time, when X attempted to reach Netto through his PET, the connection got through, the holographic image of the younger Hikari appearing a second later.

"X! Thank goodness- You're okay!" The relief was obvious in the younger Hikari's voice. Then, his attention shifted to the two NetNavies besides X. "Ah… It's you two…"

Rockman smiled. "Hello, Netto-kun."

"Man…" The younger Hikari appeared conflicted. "I'm not sure how to feel right now… You help us out every time, but when you appear, something bad happens!"

The blue Navi sighed internally. He supposed it can't be helped- Even if his intentions were to help others, it was true that he did tend to appear whenever trouble arises.

"Netto-kun, Zero's gone missing- Maybe Hub can locate him?" X asked.

Netto's expression changed instantly. He fell strangely quiet. "Nii-san, he…"

"Netto-kun, please tell us what happened." Rockman prompted him gently. "Maybe we can help."

"I- I don't know." The younger Hikari appeared distressed. "Nii-san, he's passed out."

"What?" X was alarmed. "How did it happen?"

"I don't know!" Netto said, a bit too loudly. "It was when Zero Style Changed- Nii-san had suddenly collapsed, and I can't get him to wake up!"

X cursed quietly. First his companion had gone kissing, and now his operator's sibling had fallen unconscious, and he still had no idea what had happened.

"...I think I know what's happening." As if sensing X's thoughts, Rockman spoke out. Both Netto and X turned their attention towards him.

"What do you mean?" X was visibly worried and confused.

"Hub hasn't fallen unconscious. His consciousness has just been sent to the cyberworld."

"What?" Netto was clearly in disbelief. "How does that even happen?"

"You two already know that Programme Advance requires the full synchronization of a NetNavi and his operator, where their thoughts and emotions become one." Rockman explained. "Style Change works in a similar way, but instead of FullSyncro, it's a Perfect Synchronization which triggers a NetNavi's Style Change."

"What?!" Netto was stunned by this revelation. "There's more than just a FullSycro?"

"There is. While PerfectSyncro is similar to FullSyncro in which Navi and operators share the same thoughts and will, PerfectSyncro differs in the way that the operator's consciousness is transferred into the Cyberworld, allowing the Navi and operator to share the same consciousness." Rockman paused briefly, allowing X and Netto to take in what he'd just said. "...If I had to guess, when X was about to be deleted, Hub and Zero may have accidentally triggered PerfectSyncro, which had allowed Zero to Style Change."

"...Alright, fine. Let's just say that's what happened." X was still slightly in doubt, but he had let it slide for now. "That doesn't explain why Zero has gone missing!"

"Before I answer that, I want to ask you something." Rockman turned to X. "How many times has Zero successfully performed a Style Change?"

"...Twice. Why?"

"X, you've StyleChanged once before as well, haven't you?" Rockman continued, ignoring the other's question for now. "Do you remember what happened, or what you felt during it?"

"I…" That gave the other Navi pause. "I… I don't remember. I just recall a bright light, and when I recovered, the shrine were I had been in was completely destroyed. I don't remember what happened."

"The same thing is happening to Zero right now." Rockman said. "He still hasn't gotten used to the sudden surge of power Style Change grants you, and he's completely overwhelmed by it. Wherever he is, or whatever he's doing right now, he doesn't realize it."

"..." X regarded him closely, partly in shock, partly in weariness. "...How did you know I've also Style Changed before? How do you know that this is what's happening to Zero? How do you know any of this?"

Rockman looked away.  _'Because that's exactly what happened to me when I had just gotten the Ultimate Style Change.'_

"I don't have time to explain all of that right now." He said instead. "We need to find Zero, quick- Otherwise, Hub's consciousness might be trapped inside of the cyberworld-"

Before he could finish, a sudden tremble shook the entire area they were in, nearly knocking the three Navies over. Scuttlest let out a loud chirrup and clung tightly onto Rockman's ankle.

"...Mistress. I believe we may have found him." Shadowman said what the other two Navies had been thinking.


	72. Yokai Scandal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Our school is in desperate need of a "Dank Memes Association" to prevent all the other clubs from being overrun by people who promote communism memes, dank memes, MLG memes and YouTubePoops. There's only two people who're into memes in my club and the group had now been completely flooded with Thomas the Dank Engine, Deija Vu and Communist memes.

"If anyone asks, just say you're a harpy."

Feeling the siren nod slightly behind him, Forte continued onward. The siren quickly grabbed onto his cloak and followed him closely, clearly nervous about being out and about in the Undernet.

Apparently, Serenade's plan was simple; stamp out the rumours before it could become fact by misleading the other creatures in the Undernet to think that he'd brought back a harpy instead of a siren. In truth, the demon was still doubtful that Serenade's plan would work; Aside from his wings and the fact that he now had the scent of a wet bird, Rockman was nothing like a harpy. Harpies were loud, obnoxious creatures, while the siren was too soft and quiet to even remotely be considered alike to harpies in their behavior.

He hoped anyone else that happened to stumble across them would merely think that Rockman was just an outlier to those stereotypes. It was also partly why he didn't take the siren to anywhere crowded. It wasn't as if he was popular with the majority of the Undernet creatures to begin with, so those two were strong incentives against going to any major towns or places or gathering with the sire. The two were currently wandering around some of the more remote places within the Undernet.

At the meantime, though, it allowed for some interesting conversations between the demon and the siren.

"I heard some Undernet creatures don't eat. Is that true?"

Forte turned to the siren, regarding it curiously. In just the span of several short days, it had grown a lot more comfortable around the demon's presence, despite their less than ideal first encounter.

"It depends." Forte told it. "Some creatures are made out of pure energy, so they sustain themselves not on food but through absorbing excess energy in their surroundings. Others might have found ways to replenish their energy, which would have made eating obsolete to them."

"Are you one of them?" The siren asked. "I mean, are you like those creatures that can be just fine without having to eat?"

The demon frowned. "What makes you say that?"

"It's just that…" Rockman shifted slightly. "I don't think I've ever seen you eat food. It's always just me."

"..."

It appears that the siren was a lot more perceptive than Forte had given it credit for. "I would rather you not talk about that."

"...Sorry, I didn't know it was a personal thing." Rockman's wings twitched. "I guess I just wanted to know more about you."

When the demon didn't reply, the other creature continued. "I mean, it's been several days already, hasn't it? I've learnt a lot about the Undernet and your friends, but I still don't know a lot about you…"

"There's nothing about me that I want you to know." Forte insisted.

"..." Bringing its hands together, the siren looked away briefly, its wings quivering. "Is it because of what you said you did in the past?"

Forte barely refrained himself from snapping at the siren at that. As if sensing his sudden spike of irritation, the siren's wings fluttered.

"I- Whatever it is you said you did, I won't think any less of you because of it!" The siren insisted. "I don't know what you did that you think was so bad- But I don't think that makes you a bad person just because of that!"

"You say that now." Forte hissed. "But you'll change your tune if I told you what happened."

"You don't know that." The siren was troubled by his defensiveness. "You're not like that now, right? If you were indeed as terrible as you say you had been, then you wouldn't have friends that cared about you."

"Is that what you really think?" The demon stepped forward, looking down onto the smaller creature. "In the Undernet, no one's intentions are truly pure, siren."

"What do you mean?" The siren asked, slightly intimidated, but mostly concerned by his behavior. "Don't you think they care about you? Isn't that why you're friends?"

"Only you would think that people become friends just for the sake of friendship." Forte narrowed his eyes. "Everyone has ulterior motives for seeking companionship, whether they are aware of it or not." Seeing the siren's expression shift from worried to confused, Forte continued. "Serenade realizes he can keep a close eye on me and make sure I'm not a threat to everyone around me by using his companionship as a bargaining chip, and Swallowman- He's a drunk fool who's incapable of paying his own tabs. And Slur-" The demon felt a shiver go down his spine at that. "...Don't even get me started on her."

"..." The siren had fallen quiet, as if it was actively trying to take in what he had just told it. It annoyed and- strangely- saddened him at the fact that the siren seemed to genuinely believe the idea of complete selflessness, and that it now had to be told otherwise.

"...Sorry, I didn't know it was like that." Rockman said softly, the tips of its wings shaking. "I guess I'm still not very used to the Undernet."

Regretting his own hoarseness and hastiness, Forte took the Siren's wrist, deciding that was enough time outside for today. "Never talk about this again. Come, let's go."

* * *

The siren was strangely quiet, and that had somehow put Forte on edge. He'd unknowingly gotten so used to the Siren constantly having something to say during their games of chess that the silence now unnerved him.

' _Perhaps it's realized it actually has to concentrate if it wanted a chance to win at this game.'_  Forte thought to himself as he watched the light frown forming on the other's expression.  _'It's a lot more familiar with the rules and what all the pieces do now, but it still lacks the finesse and subtleness that the rules won't teach you about.'_

Finally, Rockman moved one of the pieces forward, and Forte narrowed his eyes.  _'It's gotten brighter, too; It's realized it can't sacrifice valuable pieces too early into the game.'_

The demon and siren continued their game in silence, slowly moving the pieces around the board, Forte carefully judging and attempting to determine the motives behind each of the siren's moves, and keeping a careful mental note on how the game seemed to be going, until Rockman, out of nowhere, had made a completely unconventional move that had left the demon stunned and baffled for several moments.

Forte took his eyes away from the board for a brief moment to observe the siren sat across of him. As he's expecting, the other creature's wings were twitching slightly. Something it did when it was nervous or uneasy.

' _It's planning something.'_  Forte realized.  _'Clever thing- It's actually learned deception.'_

With that in mind, it took Forte much longer than he would to finally decide on which of the pieces to move, but when he did, the siren paused for only a brief moment before it moved the final piece on the board. "Checkmate."

The demon blinked. He quickly swept his gaze across the pieces on the board, before he slowly, gradually realized that he had been so completely blindsided by the siren's previous move that he had forgotten to check his other chess pieces entirely. "How…"

"Um…" Forte looked up. The siren was fidgeting. "Uh, that was… I didn't mean to do that. That was a mistake." The winged creature then paused, before elaborating. "I, I didn't mean to move that piece, but I didn't know how to tell you… You seemed really concerned about it."

"..."

Forte slumped back, unable to wrap his mind around what had happened.

' _...It was just a mistake…?'_


	73. Chapter 64

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I feel kind of better about myself today. Finished like 5 comic pages in one sitting and did several drawings. I guess that's somewhat productive.

From afar, Zero looked like a crooked demon straight out of the mythology of some obscure culture. Two dark, metallic wings with what appears to be lines of coding running down it had sprouted from his back, and his normally blonde hair was now bleached pale white. It Rockman didn't have the experience he had, he doubted even he could recognize that the dark, winged creature was actually Rockman Zero.

"There he is!" Rockman X had located Zero as well. "But what's he doing?"

With a flap of his wings, the rampaging Navi unleashed a large wave of energy, the sonic wave shattering the windows of all the nearby buildings, and even collapsing some of the midair pathways. Rockman activated his spare Battle Chip data for Barrier just as the wave of energy washed past them, protecting them from the wave itself and the aftershocks that followed.

"Th-thanks." X stammered, the Navi still haven't fully recovered from the shock. Another quick glance around the area showed him the extent of damage which the winged Navi had caused- While a significant portion of the damage had undoubtedly been caused by the virus attack just moments prior, X would be in complete denial if he didn't believe that the other portion of it is being caused by his friend, if the previous tremor and his display of power was anything to go by.

"It's not his fault, X." Sensing the other Navi's distress, Rockman turned to him. "He doesn't realize he's doing this. We just need to return him to his own senses."

That seemed to have the desired effect. The determined look returned to X's expression. "Right. But how can we do that?"

"...Right now, both Zero or Hub aren't conscious enough to cancel out of Style Change by themselves." Not wanting to delay things too much, Rockman attempting to explain as quickly with as much clarity as he can. "Both of their consciousness have been completely pulled under by the overwhelming power of Style Change- But, if we can exhaust their energy, we can force them to cancel out of Style Change completely, or at least, enough to pull them back into consciousness and allow them to do so themselves."

"Okay. That sounds reasonable." X appeared to agree with Rockman's line of thinking, but there was an obvious problem that Netto seemed to have notice as well.

"But how are we going to exhaust their energy?" The brunette asked. "It's not like we can just let him wreck the place until he tires out!"

"Of course we can't." Rockman agreed. "We'll let him attack me."

* * *

When Rockman himself had been the one wreaking havoc across the internet as he had been completely consumed by the surge of power the Ultimate Style had given him, the Net Police had ended up getting involved. Luring him into the location they wanted, the Net Police had a giant laser cannon hidden in the waiting, preparing to fire and delete him entirely once he got close. They had been close to succeeding as well, if Blues hadn't jumped in at the last moment and snapped him out of his frenzied state.

While it did result in him regaining enough consciousness to cancel out of Style Change himself, the experience had him brushing too close to deletion for him to feel comfortable with subjecting Zero to the same thing as well. At least, unlike last time, he will be able to stop Zero before he can leave the Internet City and flee into other parts of the cyberworld, and hopefully, he'll be able to resolve this situation quick enough before the Net Police got involved.

Walking closer to the renegade Navi just down the path, Rockman called out, attempting to get Zero's attention. "Zero, stop this right now!"

It worked. The winged Navi snapped his attention towards him, his dark wings twitching irritably.

"You don't want any of this!" Rockman continued. "Come back to your senses and stop this, Zero!"

With a snarl, Zero launched himself at Rockman, the blue Navi expecting the other Navi to retaliate in some way, but not the sudden aggression that had seemingly come out from nowhere. Reacting out of instinct, Rockman side stepped out of the way just in time for the swipe of Zero's claws to miss him barely, the Navi turning on him with another flurry of unrelenting attacks immediately.

Recovering quickly from the surprise, Rockman was prepared for the series of attacks that followed, expertly deflecting and intercepting Zero's swipes and claws with his own hands, and occasionally ducking out of the way. Yet, even if he was more experienced that the other Navi, Zero still somehow managed to keep up with him, never really letting up and giving the blue Navi a moment' respite.

Rockman dodged to the side when Zero swiped his wings sideways, the sharp edges of his wing cutting through several data cubes as it dragged horizontally across him. Rockman leapt back in order to put some distance between them, the brief moment of pause allowed him to conclude that perhaps he shouldn't be too surprised that Zero was managing to keep him on his toes- the Ultimate Style Change had allowed him to defeat Forte when he had been the one to acquire it, after all.

Zero seemed to have decided to change his strategy, his previous one of blinding slashing and swiping at his target having not yielded any result. Bringing his hands together, a ball of energy began to form and crackled within them, and Rockman instantly knew what Zero was about to do. The blue Navi stood still and mentally prepared himself- If Zero's Style Change was anything like his own, it would require a great deal of effort on his part if he wanted to come out of this unharmed.

With a flick of his wrist, Zero launched the ball of energy at Rockman, the blue Navi narrowing his eyes in concentration. Stepping out of the way of the shot's direct line of fire, he focused his energy on reflecting the shot- As expected, he felt a great deal of resistance just from the sheer force behind the shot of charged energy that had been fired at him, but with a final nudge, Rockman managed to send the entire thing hurdling back at the renegade Navi, the blast hitting him and knocking him back full force as the Navi had clearly unexpected this turn of events, bringing down a large structure as Zero collided against its surface.

Briefly, Rockman allowed himself a moment of relieve, before the pile of rubble left behind from the blast was shot into the air, and Zero emerged from all the smoke and dust.

The blue Navi narrowed his eyes. He hadn't wanted to do this, but it was the quickest way to exert all of Zero's energy without causing any unnecessary collateral damage. And while the renegade Navi was obviously hurt, it still appeared determined to tear Rockman apart, if the snarl of rage it let out was of any indication. Aiming one hand at Rockman, another ball of energy quickly manifested itself in the renegade Navi's hand.

"Wait!" Rockman's concentration was broken when X suddenly rushed into the scene, placing himself in between Zero and Rockman.

"X, what're you doing?!" Rockman yelled out in shock. He had told the other Navi to stay out of danger until he could resolve the situation. "You'll get hurt!"

X seemed to consider his words, but he also appeared strangely determined. "I- I can't just let you do everything just by yourself! Besides, Zero's my friend-" At this, he turned towards the winged Navi. "So… I have to help him as well."

"He can't recognize you right now, X!" Rockman attempted to reason. "What if he accidentally hurts or deletes you? How do you think he'll feel when he realizes that?"

"You say once we exhaust his energy, Style Change will cancel out automatically, right?" X ignored him. "He's be3n spending so much of his energy- Maybe I can get to him or Hub now!"

"X!" Rockman was unsure whether he should admire X's courage or scream at him for his recklessness. "Don't do anything you'll regret!"

Then, before Rockman could stop the other Navi, X had ran towards Zero, screaming for him to snap out of it, just at the same time Zero unleashed his charged shot at him.


	74. Yokai Scandal 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Anyone who can walk around with one eye covered for a full day without getting angry about the lack of depth perception has my respect. That shit is annoying af.

Rockman twirled his thumbs semi-nervously as he looked out the window. Forte hadn't talked to him since their last game of chess and the siren wasn't sure if that meant the demon was angry at him.

Briefly, he thought back to what the demon had said to him earlier that day; Rockman wasn't sure if he had understood Forte completely, but from what he had managed to gather, it would seem that the inhabitants of the Undernet had the tendency to hide their motives behind what he thought to have been kindness- At least, that's what Forte believed. The siren still found it difficult to see Serenade- or Swallowman, despite his over-enthusiasm, for that matter- in that light. It was just unfathomable to the siren.

It would be terrible, wouldn't it? To live your life not feeling happiness but instead suspicion and weariness among family or friends?

' _Is this what Forte feels all the time?'_

Drawing his wings closer to himself, Rockman sighed. He could only imagine how it would feel to live, believing that everyone around you had some ulterior motives for befriending you- That would be unbearable.

' _...Is that why he doesn't want to tell me about himself? Because he thinks that I might have some reasons for wanting to know?'_

That was horrible. Rockman didn't want Forte to live in that way.

"...Rockman?"

The siren jumped, startled and surprised. He quickly turned to the demon, curious but slightly tense- That was the first time the demon had used his name. Previously, it had always been 'siren' or 'creature'.

"Uh… I'm sorry, about the chess." Rockman said, fidgeting uneasily. "I really didn't mean to do that, and I'm sorry if that angered you."

"No, it's not about that." Forte cut him off quickly. "That was my own fault… I deserved that, anyways." The demon paused briefly, as if considering how best to explain why he felt that way. "...I was the one over-thinking things. You won fair and square. There's nothing to be angry about."

"Oh- I'm glad that's the case." The siren smiled softly. "Uh, so what is it that you wanted to talk about, then?"

"I'll tell you what you wanted to know." Forte said. "I'll tell you something about myself."

That surprised the siren, considering how the other creature had been so adamant about his past remaining a secret just moments before. "Is that- Are you okay with that?"

"I'm sure." The demon nodded. "...I'd rather tell you myself than have you learn some other way- People who spread rumours aren't exactly kind to the people they're spreading rumours of."

Rockman understood that. It was pretty much how the rumours regarding sirens had gotten completely out of hand. "Okay- I'd love to know more about you." He gave the demon an encouraging smile.

"..." Forte gave him a dubious look, before he spoke. "I'm actually blind in one eye."

"Huh?" Rockman blinked. It was such a random thing to begin with, and the siren hadn't even noticed anything wrong with the demon's sight during their several days together. "Really?"

Walking closer, Forte took Rockman's hand and guided it to his left eye- as the siren's fingers brushed across the skin underneath his eye, Rockman noticed that the demon's left eye indeed had a slight discolouration to it. It didn't have the same glow that his other eye had, but it was barely noticeable, unless one where to pay close attention to it.

"Demons aren't known for our kindness or compassion." Once Forte was sure the siren had realized that he was indeed missing the ability to see in one of his eyes, the demon continued. "Especially in a world as harsh and unforgiving as the Undernet, it was better to abandoned a child than to waste resources raising one when it wasn't likely they would be of much use to their legion."

Seeing the siren's expression shifting from confusion into realization, the demon confirmed the other creature's suspicions. "I never knew my parents."

"I'm sorry." Rockman wasn't sure what else to say.

"Don't be." Forte didn't appeared fazed by it at all. "I was adopted by my father- I still don't know what he was. He never told me, and I never thought to ask. He might have been a sprite, of all things. But he took me in and raised me as one of his own." Forte's voice had gotten softer at that. "...He had no reason to. He already had a daughter. But he took me in anyways."

"...It sounds like you had a lot of fond memories of them." Rockman said.

Forte narrowed his eyes, looking away slightly. "They taught me a lot of things, about empathy, kindness and compassion- I would have been someone entirely different if it wasn't for them."

"They sounds like nice people." Rockman smiled. "I'd like to meet them sometimes."

"..."

"...Forte?" The siren was unnerved by the other's sudden silence. "Is… Is something wrong?"

"Nothing." Forte said, a bit harshly. "That's enough. I'll tell you the rest at a later time."

And that was the end of their conversation.

* * *

_Clunk!_

Rockman snapped awake, sitting up instantly. It was late at night, but the siren wasn't exactly a heavy sleeper. He was naturally drawn towards the only source of light within the room- the soft beams of moonlight being filtered in through the window. It took a moment for his eyes to focus, but when they did, the siren quickly realized that he wasn't alone. A pair of bright red eyes were staring through the window directly at him.

"...Forte?" Unable to make out any distinctive features of the figure, the siren took a guess. "Are you there?"

"You're still here."

The siren's heart stopped instantly. He didn't recognize that voice at all.

"You still haven't left yet- I guess he hasn't told you about that part of his past."

"Who're you?" Rockman asked, slightly intimidated by the voice.

"You don't need to know that." The figure narrowed its eyes. "Don't worry- I won't do anything to you. I know that's not what my One-Eyed Demon would want right now- but I know you'll leave on your own accord, sooner or later."

"What do you mean?" The siren was both confused and unnerved. "What are you talking about?"

"You don't know Forte like I do." The figure continued, ignoring him. "He's a very, very bad boy. He's done a lot of naughty things in the past. Things I'm sure someone as pure and innocent like you could never accept."

Rockman kept quiet, unsure of what to say. Was this one of Forte's other friends that he didn't know about?

"I know I'll accept all of Forte, even the things he's done in the past." The figure let out a small snicker. "Can you?"

With that, the silhouette quickly retreated back into the darkness, as if it had never been there in the first place, leaving Rockman scared, confused and unable to sleep for the rest of the night.


	75. Chapter 65

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: My art haul finally arrived today- That includes the LGOTN stickers I've been meaning to make. You can check out my tumblr blog "sfwlgotn" for the link to my Storenvy store if you want some of the stickers. But there's quite a few other things that also arrived aside from the LGOTN stickers that I didn't have time to organize and put on there today, so if you also want some Detroit: Become Human pins or some other original stickers, you can wait a day or two for those to save some money on shipping. Anyways, on with the story.

Hub woke up slowly. The boy realizing with a start that he wasn't anywhere he'd recognized. The area around him glowed dimly and ominously, with orbs and clusters of data floating about.

"Netto? Zero? X?" He yelled, looking around.  _'This place doesn't look anything like the real world at all- Have I somehow ended up inside the cyberworld?'_

"Hub?" moments after his cry, a voice yelled back. "Is that you?"

"Zero!" The elder Hikari immediately ran towards the familiar voice, the human and NetNavi meeting each other halfway. Seeing his Navi, the brunette sighed. "I'm glad you're alright."

"Hub, what's going on? Why are you inside the cyberworld?" Zero seemed just as confused as he was at their predicament.

"I don't know." The boy frowned. "All I remembered was Swallowman attacking us, and then-" Hub paused, distracted by the area suddenly illuminating itself. As both human and Navi looked towards the distance, they saw a bright light heading towards them, the two barely having a moment to react before they were enveloped in the light.

Then, Hub woke up again, but this time, he was back in his home, in the real world.

"Nii-san! You're awake!"

The elder Hikari gasped, not expecting his younger sibling to hug him. "What happened to me?" It was the only thing the baffled and confused boy could ask.

"I'm- I'm not entirely sure myself." Slowly letting go of his elder sibling, Netto explained the best he could. "When X and Zero were attacked, you suddenly passed out, just as Zero performed a Style Change."

Netto's words reminded Hub of something instantly. Looking around, Hub quickly locate his PET, before attempting to reach his NetNavi through it. "Zero! Are you there?"

"...Y-yeah…" Zero answered grodily, the Navi appearing to have just woken up as his operator had.

"Zero, you've returned to normal!" The relief was obvious in X's voice as he helped Zero to his feet.

"What do you mean?" The red Navi didn't understand what his companion had meant. "Ah- What happened?" Zero gasped as he took notice of his surroundings- The two Navies were still inside of the Internet City, but Zero could only see the destroyed buildings and broken down pathways around them.

X appeared hesitant. "Zero, don't you remember what happened?"

"No, I'm afraid not." The Navi shook his head no.

"...Well, alright, but don't freak out, okay?" X sighed, before he began. "When we were attacked by that mercenary- Something happened. You somehow managed to trigger Style Change and became Absolute Style Zero."

"I did?" Zero was surprised, the Navi and his operator having tried and failed so many times prior to trigger the Style Change. "Does that mean we've stopped the virus attack?"

"Technically, we did, yes." X paused briefly at that, as if uncertain. "But then- you sort of went berserk, like you couldn't control your own power, and…" The blue Navi trailed off, gesturing to the ruin around them.

"..." Zero frowned. "I… I don't remember doing any of that. Did I really…?" The other Navi's sullen look told him all he needed to know.

"Zero, you need to plug out." X urged him. "Before-"

"Hold it right there! This is the Net Police!"

The two Navies' conversation was cut short. Turning to the sound, they now saw a group of what seemed to be Net Police Navies arriving onto the scene.

"Blues?" Rockman X picked out one of the NetNavies among the group instantly. "What're you doing here?"

"...Isn't it obvious? I'm here investigating the attack on Internet City." Blues said as he regarded the two NetNavies carefully. "No one leaves this area until we've gathered all the information we can."

X didn't speak a word as he unconsciously stepped in front of Zero, as if attempting to shield him from the other NetNavi- If anyone discovered that Zero had a hand in wreaking havoc on the city, he'd be taken away by the Net Police for sure. And with Blues as one of the Net Police investigating the crime, he doubted he would get a chance to explain or defend what Zero had done.

Blues seemed to have sensed that something was up with the two of them. "...You two seem unable to stay out of trouble." The Navi walked closer, his glare piercing even behind his dark visor. "All of the other Navies that were present in the city had logged out moments after the initial attack, so what are you two still doing here…?"

"You're still quick as ever to suspect other people, Blues."

"!"

The Navies all turned their attention to where the new voice had come from, Blues snarling and forming his hand into a sword as he saw the familiar cloaked figure.

"I should have known you of all Navies would have something to do with it." The Net Police Officer pointed his sword at the Blue Myth.

The cloaked Navi merely shot him a smile, before she turned and ran down one of the few unbroken paths leading away from the area, Blues immediately shot after her as she escaped.

"Surround the area, quick!" Seeing their lead officer run after the cloaked Navi, the rest of the Net Police appeared to have forgotten completely about X and Zero. "We can't let the suspect get away!"

"What… What just happened?" Zero whispered to X once the area was once again devoid of any other Navies.

"I think- I think Mega might have just protected us from the Net Police." X replied quietly.

* * *

As expected, Blues was the only Navi that had been quick enough to keep up with him. Rockman looked back briefly to see the other Navi still hot on his trail as he navigated the damaged landscape of the Internet City.

"Running isn't making you look any less suspicious!" Blues yelled somewhere behind him.

"Neither will stopping, I suppose?" Rockman said back, smiling to himself.

The other Navi didn't reply, but Rockman was surprised as a slash of wave shot past him, cutting off the path he had been about to take. In his brief moment of hesitation, Blues had leapt in front of him, blocking his escape. "Nowhere to run now."

Before Rockman could react, the red Navi once again swung his sword at him, this time managing to cut the side of his cheek as the blue Navi had been unable to duck out of the way quickly enough. Rockman winced slightly as he brought his hand to his cheek. "I don't want to fight you, Blues."

"It's not about wanting to fight or not." The Net Police Officer merely stated. "You're hiding something- And I'm going to find out one way or another!"

As Blues unleashed another flurry of attacks at him, Rockman realized that he might have horribly misjudged the situation- Not only had Blues gotten considerably stronger since their last encounter, but Rockman's confrontation with Zero had left him drained- He quickly realized he might not be able to keep up with the other Navi's barrage of attacks for long. Just as Rockman was busy thinking of a way out of this situation, Blues had grabbed his wrist.

"I've got you now!"

Eyes wide, Rockman watched as the Net Police Officer raised his sword high and brought it down, the blue Navi unable to get out of the way with Blue's hold on his wrist. Just as the attack was about to connect, Rockman's Navi emblem began to shine brightly, blinding the other Navi as the two of them were encased in a ball of light.

"Tch!" Stepping back, Blues quickly regained his composure. "What sort of trick is this?"

Blue's slash had managed to cut off Rockman's cloak, the purple fabric gliding onto the ground, and as the light faded, the red Navi gasped at what he saw.

"You- Impossible!"

Turning to him, the figure's green eyes were undoubtedly the Blue Myth's- but aside from several details, the figure before him was a near splitting-image of himself.

"You can take on the form of other NetNavies?" Blues was completely alarmed by the realization. Seeing his opportunity, Rockman retaliated, swinging his own sword against the other Navi's form- Not enough to really hurt or damage him, but enough to disable the Navi and allow him to get away.

As Blues collapsed, Rockman turned on his heels and ran, offering a yell of "Sorry!" as he quickly escaped from the scene.


	76. Chapter 66 (H)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I feel very weird thinking that some of the readers of this story might be using some chapters of the story to get off. If someone told me I would be creating 18R material for a public audience when I was 8, firstly, I wouldn't even have understood what that would mean, but secondly, i wouldn't believe you. RIP Childhood I guess.

Shadowman carefully gauged the area around him as he neared the location his Mistress had pointed him to after he had retrieved the cloak he had accidentally left behind in the Internet City. His Mistress' virus pet was trailing behind him, its tiny legs scuttling across the floor as it attempted to keep up with the shadow Navi. Suddenly, the virus had shot forward, chattering excitedly before disappearing from his view as it rounded a corner.

"Mistress?" Shadowman could only guess what the virus' sudden enthusiasm had meant. "Are you there?"

"Yeah- Wait, don't- don't come over."

Shadowman stopped in his tracks, baffled by the other Navi's request. "...Is something the matter?"

"...No, nothing's wrong." The Blue Myth sounded oddly worried. "Just, don't freak out, okay?"

Shadowman remained mostly confused, until a Navi stepped out from around the corner. Alarmed, the Navi reached for his sword instantly, but the other raised his hand defensively.

"Shadowman, it's me!"

Shadowman blinked. He recognized that voice. "...Mistress?"

The Navi in front of him nodded. Looking at the Navi's other arm, he noticed that Scuttlest appeared quite content to be held by the Navi before him, something that it only allowed his Mistress to do. Quickly realizing that this Navi was actually his Mistress, Shadowman lowered his guard, but still very much at a lost of what was happening.

"Mistress… Your body…"

"I know." Rockman sighed as he took his cloak back from Shadowman, wrapping it around himself. For some reason, he was still in BluesSoul, and he didn't know why.

While he was familiar with Soul Unison as he also had the same ability in his previous timeline, it appeared that the ability functioned differently than the one he had known. For one, it appeared that Soul Unison didn't require another Navi transferring their data to him in order for him to use their Soul Unison- When he had first unlocked the ability to perform Soul Unison in the past, Blues had given him ninety-nine percent of his data, leaving the other Navi in a state of near-deletion, but allowing Rockman to gain all the abilities that his Soul Unison provided. That, however, obviously wasn't the case anymore.

And for two… He still had no idea how to cancel out of it. Rockman had attempted to cancel out of BluesSoul once he had successfully lost the red Navi and the rest of the Net Police, but had found himself unable to- There was no Navi to send the borrowed data back to, and Rockman found himself still in BluesSoul long after the entire ordeal had passed.

"..." Shadowman, for his part, seemed to have just accepted that there were just some things surrounding his Mistress that simply couldn't be explained. "Mistress… What about your mate?"

Rockman grimaced. He didn't know how Forte would react to it. He still didn't know how he was going to explain this to him. "I'll… I'll get to that later. Let's return to the Undernet for now."

* * *

Rockman was boiling with nervous energy when he had returned to the Undernet, Scuttlest was still chattering happily in his arms- apparently, the virus recognized him by his energy signature rather than his appearance. Pulling his hood lower over his head, he shifted nervously, still unsure of how he was going to explain the entire thing.

"Mega?"

Rockman turned and gasped, seeing Forte standing before him.

"For-Forte! It's me!"

"I know." The dark Navi didn't appear to need convincing. "I saw what happened."

He blinked, surprised. "You saw?"

Forte nodded. Then, he stepped forward, reaching for Rockman's hood. "Can I?"

When Rockman didn't protest, Forte pulled his hood back, revealing his now finned helmet and neon green visor. Forte raised an eyebrow. "...What happened, exactly?"

"I don't know." Rockman replied honestly. This iteration of Soul Unison was so different than the one he'd been used to that he didn't even know how it had activated, or how to disable it. "I'm not sure how it happened, but it seems to allow me to use his abilities…"

Forte appeared to realize that Rockman was referring to Blues. He held one of his hand out to him. "Let me see. Maybe I can find out what happened."

Rockman let go of Scuttlest, placing the small virus onto the ground allowing it to wander around on its own accord before he took Forte's hand. He shivered briefly as he felt the other Navi began to comb through his data, poking and prodding at his programmes gently. Then, Forte appeared to have noticed something. "Mega, there appears to be some sort new programme inside of your data."

Rockman nodded. It was probably the programme that had allowed him to perform Soul Unison. "Can you find out anything about it?"

"..."

"Forte…?" Rockman was slightly worried by Forte's silence. "Is something wrong…?"

"It-" The dark Navi's voice faltered slightly, before he continued. "It seems to be a less orthodox version of my Get Ability programme."

"What?" That doesn't make any sense. "How- Why would I have your Get Ability programme inside of my data?"

"..." Forte snorted. Rockman remained clueless for a second, before he saw the slight twitch of the other Navi's lips upward. Instantly, his face became a bright shade of red.

"That's not ture. It's impossible."

"Right."

"Forte! Don't patronize me!" He was completely flustered. "Just- Just figure out how the programme works, okay?!"

"I know exactly how it works. It's very similar to my own."

"Then you know how I can cancel out of this form, right?"

"Wait." The other Navi seemed to consider something. "Before that, let me try something."

"Wh-" Rockman's question was cut off when the other Navi leaned forward quickly and kissed him, Forte taking advantage of his surprise to yank the rest of his cloak off, Rockman gasped and shivered as the other Navi began touching him, firm hands gliding down his chest and waist.

"Forte!" He hissed, grabbing both of Forte's wrists. "Can't this wait?!"

The dark Navi looked at him innocently. "That would defeat the entire purpose."

"Of what?!"

"I want you. In this form." Leaning in once more, Forte bit the side of Rockman's neck softly, drawing out a startled gasp from the smaller Navi.

"Y...You can't be serious." Rockman couldn't see the appeal in this.

"You're still you, even if your body  _is_ slightly different now." Forte explained as he continued to explore Rockman's body, the Navi's frame now appeared to be more lean than slender, probably to allow more effective use of sword type weapons. His shoulder length hair, while still a dark shade of brown, had now extended to his waist, and Forte was both curious and intrigued as he ran his fingers through Rockman's hair. "I wonder if there's any other part of you that's changed?"

Before Rockman could protest, Forte had pushed him over, the two Navies landing on the ground with Forte on top of him. Immediately, Rockman began to struggle out of embarrassment more than anything as the other Navi began to remove the pieces of light armour on his upper torso and tore off the rest of his skin suit. "Forte!"

"I've got you." Forte had silenced him with another kiss, before guiding his legs apart gently. "...You still have that part of you that I love."

Rockman closed his eyes shut, his face burning bright red. "Oh my god, Forte."

"...It's your first time in this form…" The dark Navi said more to himself as he touched the soft, closed petals in between the smaller Navi's legs and felt the Navi below him tense. "Don't worry. I'll be gentler."

Rockman couldn't quite stop the small sound that escaped him when Forte pushed himself inside, the Navi letting out a sharp whine and grasping onto the Navi above him as he was entered, his body appeared to be offering a bit more resistance than usual, clenching tightly around the intruding length uncomfortably as it slid inside. True to his words, Forte seemed to be taking things a lot more slowly. Where he would have already forced himself completely inside knowing that the smaller Navi's body had already grown used to him, Forte went slow, only thrusting himself deeper into the other Navi when he was certain doing so wouldn't cause Rockman any major discomfort.

"This form of you isn't used to me…" Forte concluded as he carefully observed Rockman's reactions. "That's alright. I'm sure that can be amended."

Rockman's entire body was quivering when Forte was fully sheathed inside of him, his soft walls clutching awkwardly as it was spread wide apart. The Navi snapped his eyes open, one of his legs kicking softly and he let out another whine when Forte bucked his hips forward, the tip of his length nudging at his sensitive opening. "Hn-nnnh…"

"...You definitely feel different." Forte murmured softly, sliding his hands downwards towards Rockman's hips. "But I'll still make sure you feel good."

"A-ahn!" Rockman gasped as he felt the other Navi began to thrust into him gently, his insides becoming slick from stimulation, gradually allowing less and less resistance as the other Navi continued to roll his hips against him. Forte appeared to have noticed as much, and the smaller Navi let out an undignified yelp as the larger Navi suddenly increased the pace and depth of his thrusts. "For-Forte!"

Shuddering, Rockman's body reacted on instinct, twisting and attempting to get out from underneath the other Navi, but the tight grip on his hips prevented him from doing so.

"Feisty, eh?" Forte teased him, and Rockman blushed- Instead of silent submission, his body seemed to be reacting to the pleasure differently, struggling and thrashing to get away from the stimulation instead of quietly accepting it. "I can change that."

"Hnn!" Rockman's body jerked as Forte began to fuck him passionately, each inward push completely forcing his inner walls apart and slamming against that sensitive inner opening before withdrawing completely and thrusting forward once more. Each thrust against that spot inside of him managing to force out a sharp cry of delight and causing his entire form to quiver in pleasure. Unconsciously, the smaller Navi attempted to bring his knees together, to somehow angle himself away in an attempt to get away from the overwhelming sensations, but Forte held him still expertly, effectively forcing his body to accept everything the larger Navi was doing to him, and all Rockman could do was to whimper and cry with Forte's every move.

When Rockman came, it was with a sudden jerk as he dug his nails into Forte's forearm, dragging long lines along the other's skin. His insides shivered and clutched tightly, as if attempting to stop the larger Navi from pushing so deeply into him. Forte responded with several more thrusts, forcing that opening inside of him open before he climaxed himself, spilling himself directly inside as Rockman's body spasmed, his legs still kicking softly as if trying to get the larger Navi off of him.

"...Interesting." Forte murmured softly as the two Navies recovered, running his fingers through the smaller Navi's hair. Rockman's body was still twitching in slight awkwardness as Forte remained sheathed inside of him.

"Is… Is that what you wanted?" Rockman sighed, rolling his eyes. "Are you satisfied now?"

"Maybe." Forte said. "But I still want more."

"?!"

Before Rockman could say anything, Forte had bucked his hips into him, the smaller Navi's body reacting instinctively by kicking and squirming before he was held still once more, the short gasps and cries of want and pleasure the only thing he managed to get out as his body shuddered unwillingly in desire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey guys what Soul do you want to see Rockman in when Forte fucks him just asking for a friend yeah haha bye.


	77. Yokai Scandal 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I think Baldi's Basic in Education and Learning is about a teacher who wanted the best for his students, but didn't really go about doing it in an effective way in that he was overly strict and punished his students too harshly for the most minor of mistakes, and the game is basically a portrayal of how one of Baldi's students perceive him. At least, that's my headcanon for the game.

Forte woke up to a somewhat distressed siren with a small pile of feathers laid next to it. Walking closer, the demon quickly realized that Rockman had been tediously grooming away his molting feathers, something he had never seen the siren do before.

"Stop doing that." Forte said as he took the siren's wrists. While he knew some other bird creatures shared the same behavior of picking out old and worn or damaged feathers from their wings, the amount that the siren was pulling out from its own was ridiculous. "That's too much. You'll have bald spots if you keep doing that."

"S-sorry." Rockman shrunk under the demon's gaze, but his wings were still twitching irritatedly. "It… It just itches, so much."

"What?" Forte was confused. "What does?"

"My wings." The siren sniffed, pulling at his hands. "It doesn't feel very nice. I haven't washed them in a while."

The demon raised an eyebrow, a question forming in his head. "...Is that why you sirens bathe in hot springs? To wash your wings?"

Rockman nodded, folding and unfolding his wings unconsciously.

"I can take you to a stream nearby." The demon offered, but the siren shook its head.

"The water wouldn't be hot enough…"

Forte frowned, remembering the thick clouds of steam that had been produced by the hot springs he'd found the siren in, but he quickly thought of an alternative.

"I know a place- Come. I'll take you."

Rockman was fidgeting nervously. He didn't like some of the stares he was getting.

* * *

 

"Calm down. They don't suspect anything."

He grabbed onto Forte's cloak tighter as he walked closely behind him. "S-sorry. It's just weird. I'm not used to so many other creatures at the same time."

"What do you mean?" The demon sounded curious.

"I've never really been in a big group before, even with other sirens." Rockman whispered quietly to him. Forte appeared to consider this.

"Why not?" The demon asked him. "Considering what your kind has to do periodically, wouldn't it be much safer to bathe in a group so some of you can look out for approaching threats?"

"..." Rockman blushed and hid his face, and Forte sighed when he deduced what the siren's reaction was implying.

"We're here."

Rockman looked up timidly. The small building they were in front of didn't look any different to the others that lined the street, but the siren could smell the faint scent of steam from boiling water. "What's this place…?"

"It's a bathhouse." Forte told him as the two walked through the door, and Rockman watched as the demon spoke to the receptionist and gave him was the siren assumed to be the currency that the creatures in the Undernet used. Rockman followed Forte once more as the demon took his wrist and he tried not to pay too much mind to the stare that followed him.

"Do… Do they know?" Rockman couldn't resist asking. He trusted Forte and Serenade not to intentionally put him in danger, but he was still worried if other creatures might have saw through their plan.

"They aren't staring because of what you are." Forte assured him. "They're doing that because of who you're with."

The siren appreciated the demon's attempt at making him feel better, but the answer had left him even more confused. "What do you mean? They're… They're looking at me because of you?"

"We're here." Forte avoided the question expertly as the two walked into a closed room, the demon sliding the door behind them shut. The siren looked in awe as he saw the large pool of water in the middle of the room, the steam rising from the near-boiling heat of the water and filling the entire area.

"Take as long as you want." The demon said. Then, he added, as if an afterthought. "I won't look, if you're worried about that."

"You're not joining me?" The siren asked. Forte had already spent so much of his time taking him all the way out here. He didn't want to force the other to wait for him too, while he cleaned out all the dust and grime that had gotten trapped in between his feathers.

"I thought you didn't like it when other sirens watched you."

"That's-" Rockman blushed. He paused briefly, trying to explain himself better. "That's… That's mostly because, I didn't really know them, a lot, and it didn't feel right because of that. So, that's why, I would be okay, if…" He stopped when he realized he was stuttering and not really making much sense anymore. "Wh-what I want to say is, I won't mind, if you don't."

"...I don't mind." The demon said, after a long pause.

"Okay." The siren smiled. "Um, then, I'll join you in the water, when I'm done."

As the siren turned and went over to one of the ledges, Forte was almost regretting his decision after the internal debate he'd had with himself wondering if it was right of him to take advantage of some unsuspecting siren to watch them strip and bathe naked at a close distance. But that still didn't stop the demon from staring as Rockman began to take off pieces of his clothing, folding them neatly before placing them into a pile. Even if the demon had seen the winged creature naked once before, he still found himself holding his breath when he saw the other's soft, pale skin slowly behind revealed underneath all that clothing,

"...Uh." Forte blinked, and it took him a moment to realize the siren had caught him staring, a soft blush on its face as it addressed the demon. "...So, are you coming…?"

It didn't take Forte nearly as long as Rockman to strip, the demon being much less careful and organized than the siren had been as he practically tore his clothes off of himself. When he turned back to the bath, the siren was already in the water, small droplets dripping from the tips of its wings as it spreaded them.

The sight had made Forte suddenly question his relationship with the siren. While the demon could admit that he was very much in the wrong for abducting the siren from its home and bringing it to the Undernet, their interaction didn't appear to reflect this at all. Kidnappers don't tend to care for the wellbeing of their victims, and the victims most certainly didn't invite their kidnappers into the bath with them.

So, why was this siren acting like this…?

"For-Forte…!"

The demon was brought back into sudden awareness. Somewhere during his internal monologue, he had joined the siren in the water and approached him from behind, grabbing both his wings firmly but gently.

"Do you fear me?" Forte asked it. He had to know.

"..." He felt the siren's wings give a soft twitch in his hands. "...I don't know."

It wasn't 'yes' like before, but the siren still held some sort of uncertainty regarding him. "Why?"

"I… I trust you, not to hurt me." Rockman looked back at him as he said. "I meant what I said, when I told you I didn't think you were a bad person. I'm still a bit scared of what you did to me on the Surface, but you haven't hurt me after that, so... I don't have to be afraid."

The siren's words made him confused and angry at the same time- He almost lashed out at it, wanting to accuse it of lying, before he realized the siren was literally in the most vulnerable position it could possible be in, completely naked with its back towards its captor. Both its wings were held tightly, yet showed no signs of struggling.

No one would give the person they fear that much leverage over them. Not willingly like the siren had.

Before he realized it, Forte's hands moved on their own accord, one taking hold of the siren's waist while the other cupping its chest, Rockman yelping in surprise at the action.

"Forte- Forte! What're you-"

Whatever the siren had wanted to say was cut off by its own whine when Forte bit the back of its neck, the hand on its waist trailing down along its hips and towards the area in between its legs. The demon heard Rockman made several startled and confused noises, before the siren's body suddenly tensed, the winged creature letting out a long cry before it went limp in his arms, shivering softly as it gasped and panted.

Then, Forte's mind suddenly caught up to what he had just done.


	78. Chapter 67

Rockman was carefully poking at the newly formed programme inside of his data, still trying to get used to how it worked. The programme apparently had some sort of built-in library to store foreign data, and as he activated and deactivated the programme while selecting Blue's data, he found himself able to switch in and out of BlueSoul with relative ease- Something that he wouldn't have guessed could be done just a day ago. Soul Unison usually required another Navi actively sending their own data over to him for it to work. The fact that now he had permanent and instantaneous access to it was overwhelming, to say the least.

Besides from getting him acquainted with his new ability, Forte had also walked him through how his Get Ability programme worked.

"Every piece of unique data that the programme manages to scan and copy should be stored in a folder that's attached to it." Forte had told him. "You can further organize the data on your own, but by default, they should all appear there."

"So it's sort of like a Battle Chip folder? If I want a certain Battle Chip, I'll just find it in the folder and select it, right?"

The other Navi considered his comparison. "With your version of the programme, I suppose you can say that."

"My version?" Rockman was confused. "Doesn't your Get Ability programme work like that as well?"

"If you're talking about active abilities, then yes. My programme also has a library which I can access and find the ability that I want to use during battle." Forte explained. "However, mine differs from yours in that I also have a secondary library for passive abilities."

"Passive abilities?"

"Think of them as permanent upgrades." Forte titled his head. "If active abilities are like Battle Chips you use during battles, then passive abilities are like receiving a system upgrade- It doesn't directly contribute to the battle, but it definitely helps and adds up over time."

Rockman took a moment to ponder this. He supposed it made sense that was how Forte had managed to grow so powerful in time- If every enemy he had defeated had yielded him some sort of passive ability, that would allow him to rinse and repeat the same process with stronger and more powerful opponents each time, allowing his power to grow almost exponentially. But he still had a question. "Forte, you said that this new programme that I have is a version of the Get Ability programme that I've gotten from you, right?" When the other Navi gave an affirmative nod, Rockman continued. "So… So why does mine change my appearance? Is it another difference between our programmes?"

"Hm." Forte confirmed his suspicion. "It mostly has to do with how our programmes handle formatting."

"What's that?" Rockman asked him. "And why would that affect me?"

"If you wanted to grossly over-simplify things, than Navies are practically all the same- we are all made out of two key components, the frame, which basically determines our appearance, and our key-data, which determines our personality and our abilities." Forte explained. "However, that is simply not the case. Even if minute, there are differences between each Navi's frame and their key-data, and this difference is made even clearer for fully customized NetNavies, like us."

"Does that mean that the programme changes my frame, because I'm using another Navi's key-data?" Rockman guessed.

Forte grinned. "That's correct. While my programme also has the ability to format another Navi's key-data so it is compatible with my own frame, my guess is that your version of the programme handles formatting differently, in that it changes your frame so that you become compatible with their key-data instead."

While Rockman was glad that he now had access to what was basically the equivalent of Soul Unison, he wasn't sure how he felt about how the programme was handling the data. "That… that's a bit backwards, isn't it?"

"It's a bit unorthodox, perhaps." Forte shrugged. "But it achieves its purpose. Besides…" At this, the other Navi leaned in. "It has some unforeseen benefits with it, doesn't it?"

Rockman had pushed Forte away at that point, the other Navi allowing it and merely smirking as the blue Navi blushed. Deciding that he had played around with his new programme enough, Rockman canceled out of BluesSoul one last time, feeling the programme becoming dormant once more now that it wasn't being used.

"I guess I'd accidentally scanned and copied Blues' data when we were inside of the Internet City…" Rockman pondered out loud. "...Hm?"

The blue Navi looked down when he felt something poke at his ankle and saw Scuttlest attempting to climb up his leg. Rockman had quickly learnt that it was just something the virus did whenever it wanted the Navi to hold it.

"Geez… If I didn't know any better, I would say you were some sort of dog that humans kept as pets…" Sighing, Rockman picked the bug virus up, Scuttlest letting out tiny, happy chatters in response. "...You're getting kind of heavy as well…" The Navi raised an eyebrow. "Have you been feeding off spare data when I'm not looking…?"

"Mistress?"

"Ah!" Rockman turned as Shadowman approached him. "What is it?"

"I found something… some Navies, in the Undernet that you know."

The blue Navies blinked. "Who?"

"..." Shadowman fell strangely quiet for a moment, before he spoke. "Mistress… I believe you might want to see it for yourself first…"

* * *

"Your report?"

"You were right. The Blue Myth did show up not long after the operation began." Swallowman sighed. "But is that really all that surprising? She shows up every time something bad happens. She's like one of those nice, quiet girls that secretly loves bad, dangerous boys."

"And the two other Navies?" The other NetNavi didn't seem to care much other than getting the information that he wanted.

"I'll get them next time." The bird Navi frowned. "The brat nearly tore my wings off. There's no way I'm letting him walk after that."

"...Do not bother." The Navi made out of ice replied. "I have reviewed the footage from the operation. You will not achieve anything from that."

"..." Swallowman bit his tongue. As much as he hated to admit it, whatever power that Zero had unleashed upon him had left him completely outmatched, and the bird Navi doubted he would survive a second encounter, even if that was a blow to his pride.

"However, my operator is quite intrigued by this… power, that this Navi seemed to have." The other Navi continued. "So for now, your new instructions will be to observe him in battle, and gather as much information on this power of his as possible."

"Fine." The bird Navi huffed, rolling his eyes. "And the Blue Myth? You seem completely determined to eliminate her from the start, but I still don't know how you plan on getting rid of her."

"That is none of your concern." The ice Navi told him. "Now begone."

"Tch." Although displeased, Swallowman logged out of the systems. Once he was gone, a holographic image of a person flickered to life.

"It has been done." The Navi told the figure, presumably his operator.

"Good." The figure said. "Begin preparing for the next step of our plan- We mustn't allow ourselves to repeat the same mistakes WWW had…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: And with all that setup, the Gospel arc officially begins. Welcome aboard guys.


	79. Yokai Scandal 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This chapter was originally going to have NSFW but I didn't have time to write it. I'm not sure if I can update tomorrow once again thanks to my terrible time management skills, but I'll try my best to get something out. Sorry guys.

Forte laid on his back, thoroughly regretting all of his life choices while he stared at the ceiling. He should never had accepted Serenade's invitation when he invited the group out for drinks. Should have never listened to Serenade when the sprite told him about the rumour regarding the sirens. Should have never acted on impulse and did what he had done. It was stupid. Completely idiotic.

Idiot.

"...Forte?"

The demon blinked, and turned his head towards the doorway where the siren was hiding behind. He realized he must have looked completely ridiculous to the other creature, just laying around on the floor of his own home seemingly for no reason whatsoever. "...What?"

"Are you…" Rockman blushed, ducking its head briefly. "Are you okay?"

"..."

He really wasn't. After that accident- if he could even call it that- in the bathhouse, the demon had been rendered unable to look at the other creature in the eye, and had turned his back towards the winged creature while he waited for it to clean through its feathers in awkward, unnerving silence. On the way back, the siren understandably hadn't attempted any sort of conversation which him, and now he was on the floor trying to find some sort of sense or reason as to why he had done what he did. He had no idea what to do with himself.

"I don't know." Forte said.

The siren was quiet for a moment, before it slipped closer towards him. "Are you upset with what I said?"

"What?" Forte snapped his attention towards it, baffled and alarmed. "Of course not."

Rockman appeared to relax slightly. "Then… Can you tell me why you're upset? If that's okay?"

The demon just stared at the siren in disbelief for a moment, before he sat up. "Rockman, do you have no idea what I just did to you?" He was going to wrangle himself if the other creature was indeed so clueless that it didn't realized that the demon had just practically molested it.

"It's something that two creatures do, when they're-" The siren stopped, biting its lips as its face grew bright red. "W-when, when they're really, really close."

Forte wasn't sure if the siren had meant in terms of relationship or distance when it had said the word 'close'. He hoped for his sake that it was the former. He decided to clarify. "Didn't you feel… violated?"

The siren appeared to actually consider this. Forte could almost see the thoughts going through its mind before it slowly shook its head. "I… I don't know. I felt shocked. Confused. But I didn't feel bad." Then, in a quieter voice, the siren continued. "I… I didn't know you felt that way, though. You always seemed so distant, like you disliked me, or I did something that you didn't liked."

"...I never disliked you." Forte told the siren, though he could see in hindsight how the other creature might have gotten that idea. "...It's complicated, the reason why I acted that way towards you."

"I don't understand."

"Of course you don't." Forte gave a short laugh as he considered how to explain it to the other. "...When my own parents had abandoned me, I didn't really had anything good to take away from that. It made me feel... I felt like, their affection had preconditions. And it only spiraled from there. After that, I could never really look at anything someone did and not see the possible inclinations and motives behind their actions. No one was truly pure, and everything had strings attached to it."

When the siren merely looked at him with a slight frown, Forte continued. "I guess that's why… When my father adopted me, I had trouble seeing that his kindness was genuine. Even though I was grateful for him for taking me in, I always thought that he might have wanted something in return." Sensing the siren's confusion, Forte explained. "I might have told you this before, but my father, Cossack, had a daughter, Kalinka. She was kind and caring and compassionate- the sort of girl that everyone would want to be friends with. But that also made her very vulnerable to being taken advantage of." At this, Forte met the siren's gaze, watching as realization gradually settled on its expression. "I thought that was where I came in- He wanted someone to protect his daughter when he had business to take care of. That was why he took me in."

"Was that really true?" Rockman's wings were quivering.

"No. He genuinely cared for my well being, and only ever treated me as his son, but I didn't know that at the time." The demon narrowed his eyes. "I thought I had been indebted to him, so I did everything I could to achieve my 'purpose'. When I was younger, I would get into fights with other creatures who harassed Kalinka. My father would always scold me for hurting them afterwards, but I thought the gesture had mostly been for show, for the families of the other creatures I had just beat up." Forte then grit his teeth. "...It should have stopped there, but it got worse."

"What happened...?" The siren asked, its voice quiet.

"I began taking contacts." Knowing that the siren wouldn't understand what that statement alone meant, he continued. "In the undernet… There are many different ways of obtaining power, and contracts were one of them. Most of these contracts were put out by people who offered wealth in turn of some sort of service, but there were some that offered a fraction of the contractor's powers as payment, and in pursuit to fulfil the non-existent expectations of my father, those were the ones I took."

"It wasn't easy for me, at first." Forte lifted his gaze towards the ceiling once more as he sighed. "Power was one of the more valuable resources that one could have in the Undernet, so the job that came with this payment…" Forte braced himself as he finished his explanation. "It was usually murder."

He expected the siren to recoil, perhaps in disgust, or at least in fear, but the winged creature just sat there, as if waiting for him to continue his story.

"...I wasn't really used to it. Beating people up and actually killing them weren't exactly the same thing, but once I had gotten over the initial hurdle, it became easier. Each contract I fulfilled only made me stronger, and at one point, I had even been strong enough to force the contractors into giving me a large fraction or all of their power to me." The demon paused briefly. "I had indeed become the warrior that I thought he had wanted, but I never realized I'd stray further away from the son he had actually wanted."

"Then tell them, Forte." Rockman urged him. "If it was truly a misunderstanding, then they'll understand."

"I _can't_." Forte hissed. He lowered his voice once he realized he had startled the siren. "I just can't, okay?"

"...Okay." The siren's wings twitched slightly, but it continued. "I… I still think you should, but I won't force you, or anything." Then, Forte looked back down when he felt something touching his hand. The siren had placed its hand on his. "I know that isn't a part of your past that you're proud of, or want to even mention, so thank you for telling me." The siren tilted its head. "I can't say that I understand why you felt what you did, or why you did what you done, but I think everyone deserves the chance to change for the better." At that, the winged creature gave him a small smile. "And, I think you have."

"..."

Before he could convince himself otherwise, Forte leaned in and kissed Rockman on the lips. He kept his movement slow and gentle, allowing the siren plenty of time to back away if it wanted, but when the winged creature remained where it was, Forte grew bolder, grabbing the siren's wrists and pulling it closer as he bit down its throat, drawing out several surprised gasps.

"Forte…" The siren was shaking, grasping onto his cloak.

"I want you." The demon told the siren, red eyes staring desperately into the other's green ones. "Rockman. Let me have you."


	80. Yokai Scandal 10 (H)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry for no chapter yesterday. Had to catch up with a bunch of non-LGOTN related stuff once more. Anyways, since you're supposed to get this in the last chapter but then I got too tired, I decided to have double YS chapters this time. Enjoy guys.

The siren's pale skin was soft, the sheets around it a nice compliment to its slight blush as Forte peeled of its clothing bit by bit until the siren was just as bare as the first day Forte had met it.

The demon paused for a moment, wondering if he had been too hasty in his actions, but when Rockman only looked at him timidly, Forte began to remove his own clothing, feeling the other's gaze on him until he was done and their eyes met.

The siren glanced away instantly, it's face bright red as if it had been caught doing something it wasn't supposed to. "Um… Y-you look nice."

The demon raised an eyebrow. "You haven't done anything like this before, have you?"

"N-no." The siren bit one of its nails. "...Have you?"

"..."

It was Forte's turn to blush, but the demon didn't allow that to stop him for long. Leaning in, he kissed the siren once more, feeling the soft gasp and twitch of the other creature below him as his hands ran down the siren's chest and waist. While some of it was instinct, Forte was good at reading other people as well, and the demon quickly realized where Rockman was most sensitive, biting and rubbing at the soft skin as the siren's gasps and whines grew louder.

"Forte!" The siren let out a sudden yelp when Forte took one of its wings into his hands, the outcry quickly turning into a long moan when the demon ran his hand through its feathers, its toes curled and entire body shivering at the motion, and Forte wasn't sure how to feel about the newfound knowledge that the siren's wings were practically its erogenous zones when it was aroused.

Not wanting to startle the siren, Forte took his time, making sure Rockman was completely lax and compliant underneath him before he moved one of his hands down in between its legs, moving past and under its erect length, but then unexpectedly feeling a wetness down there. Baffled and surprised, the demon drew back slightly, lifting one of the siren's legs to rest around his waist, Rockman letting out a confused and dazed noise at the demon's action. Forte guided Rockman's other leg to the side, and what the demon saw stunned him.

"What the fu…"

"Is… Is something wrong?" The siren fidgeted nervously, it's wings quivering.

Forte swallowed as he watched a gush of clear fluid trailing out from the pair of soft petals in between the other creature's legs that he hadn't expected to be there. The demon had no idea how he had missed it both times when he had saw Rockman naked, but he knew he wanted to bury himself deep inside there, the demon's breath hitched as he imagined the tight heat of the siren surrounding him. _'Do all sirens have that part regardless if they are male or female? Was that how the rumours about siren wives began?'_

"...Nothing's wrong." Forte said as he reached one hand towards the small slit, slipping two of his fingers inside, the wet slick allowing the two digits entry with relative ease. Rockman made a small sound, its hands grabbing onto the sheets below it as its wings quivered.

"Does it hurt?" Forte asked it, just to be sure he wasn't rushing things.

"I- hnn, I don't know…" The siren blushed, shifting around under the demon's gaze. "It feels… weird. But it doesn't hurt…Ah-hnnn…!"

Sliding his fingers deeper, Forte had curled the two digits before forcing them upwards at an odd angle. The siren's reaction was immediate, one of its wings had unfolded, flopping onto the sheets with a soft thump, while its entire body tensed. "Forte- Forte…!"

"Hn?" The demon slid in a third finger, spreading Rockman's inner walls apart just as his body gave a harsh shudder. "Did it hurt?"

"Nu- nuh, no… It f-feels- Ahn, weird…!" The siren's cries were combined with several gasps and whimpers as Forte thrusted his fingers in and out, forcing out another gush of slick in between Rockman's legs.

When Forte had finally withdrew his fingers, the siren was completely quivering below him, its face a bright shade of red. Its wings had been drawn close to its body as it gasped and whined. The demon quickly brought both of Rockman's legs around his waist, the siren out letting out a small whine as it felt something else push up against its opening.

"I won't hurt you." Forte told it as he brought his forehead against the siren's.

"O-okay…" Rockman's pupils were blown wide, appearing dazed, but not completely unaware. "I, I trust you."

That was all the confirmation Forte needed to push himself forward, forcing his entire length inside of the siren in a single motion. He hissed as the other's tight heat surrounded him, and grabbed both sides of Rockman's waist to steady himself. "Fuck…!"

"Ahn!" Rockman jerked, both of his wings flapping once, dislodging several loose feathers and sending them flying across the room. The siren then laid still, its inner walls clutching around the intruding length awkwardly as it whimpered. "It's… It's inside…!"

"It's okay." Forte attempted to sooth it, kissing the siren softly as it wriggled uncomfortably, trying to bring its knees together. "I've got you."

"Hn…! Nn-nh, a-ah…" Rockman let out a series of cries as Forte began to buck his hips, thrusting into the siren shallowly at first. The demon kept a close eye on the other's reaction as he angled his thrusts, before the siren suddenly let out a loud gasp, its insides tensing around him.

Realizing he had located where the other creature was most sensitive in there, Forte deepened his thrusts, moving one hand upwards to touch the siren's wings, rubbing circles underneath its feathers for good measure. The effect was immediate; the siren shuddered, its head rolling back as it began to sob and whine incoherently. Forte snarled when he felt the other clutch around him tighter, but the wet slick the siren produced allowed him to slide in and out with relative ease despite the added friction.

"A-ahn! For-Forte!"

"Does it feel good?" Forte asked it. He regarded the siren carefully as he continued to trust into it, each inward push drawing out a gasp and a shudder from the creature below him.

Rockman eyes were brimming with tears at this point, most likely from over-stimulation as Forte continued to thrust into that innermost spot inside of it. The siren's mouth was wide open, but all that left it was a series of long whines and startled moans as its entire body was jerked. Unable to vocalize its answer, the siren just gave a small, shy nod, just as another cry left its mouth.

"That's good." Forte bit Rockman's neck, just as another thrust had left the siren crying and shaking, its wings giving another flap. The demon gently pressed both of its wings down onto the sheets, feeling the feathers quiver in between his fingers as he continued to buck his hips forward. The siren was sobbing and gasping, its inner walls clutching desperately around him, but still somehow maintaining its gaze with the demon. "I want you, and If you want, I can keep on making you feel good."

Forte was unsure if his words had played a part in it, but he felt the siren orgasm not a moment later, the winged creature letting out a long cry just as its entire body shuddered. When the demon reached his own climax, it was with a growl as he bit the base of Rockman's throat, feeling the siren shiver as he spilled himself deep into it, the siren's soft walls clutching and twitching around him, as if attempting to pull him even deeper inside.

When Forte had recovered, he realized that the siren now laid completely still underneath him, apparently having passed out not long after its climax, the tips of its wings were still twitching slightly as it slept. Feeling tired himself, Forte laid down besides the siren, deciding that everything else could wait until tomorrow.

The next day, the two were woken up by a loud banging at the door, and the displeased screams of a certain sprite.


	81. Chapter 68 (Gospel strikes)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Why can I eat so much and still feel hungry? That's not healthy is it?

"...Nii-san? Nii-san!"

"Huh?" Hub Hikari was pulled to sudden awareness as a hand dragged itself across his vision. It was his younger sibling, Netto. "A-ah! What is it, Netto-kun?"

"Class is over, Nii-san." The younger Hikari told him. "It's not like you to just completely space out like that… What's wrong?"

"What?" The elder Hikari looked around. True to Netto's words, the class was half-empty, most likely having left school already. Somehow, he'd manage the sit through class without even noticing it.

"...Sorry." Knowing that he wouldn't be able to hide anything from his younger sibling, Hub sighed. "It's just… I'm still thinking about what happened several days ago…"

"You mean about Zero and the Internet City?" Netto frowned. "That's not your fault, Nii-san! We were just trying to help and you didn't know that would happen! Besides, it's been three days and the Net Police still hadn't said anything about it- I don't think they suspect us!"

Hub looked down, biting his lips. "I know, but… But that doesn't mean Zero and I aren't still responsible for damaging the city…"

"Nii-san, come on! There was no way any of us would know that was what would happen!" Netto was referring to the side effect of his elder sibling's Navi going completely berserk . "Besides- We'll find some way to control it next time, so it doesn't happen again!"

"Right…" Hub supported his face with both hands. It was obvious that the boy was skeptical of Netto's words.

"We can ask Mega what she knows about Style Change the next time we see her." Netto offered.

Hub gave his younger sibling a look. "Who?"

"It's what the Blue Myth calls herself." Netto grinned. "She actually helped us when you and Zero were in Absolute Style, you know? It was how we managed to break you out of it."

"Okay…" That wasn't the part of the story which the elder Hikari doubted- Hub had realized that the Blue Myth have helped them in the past on multiple occasions, and that the mysterious Navi's presence during their encounter with the Net Police only solidified his suspicion that the Blue Myth might have been involved in some way, but… "We don't know when she'll show up. It could be ages before that, and what if we lose control during that time?"

"Now you're just worrying about things that haven't even happened yet!" Netto berated him. "Let's just go home and not worry about that right now!"

"I guess you're right." Hub blushed slightly when he realized he was completely overthinking things. "Let's go then- Huh?" Just as the boy moved to grab his bag and stand up, his PET started beeping. Hub took it out. "Zero, what is it?"

"It's a message from Yaito's Navi, Glide." The red Navi said. "Here, I'll play it."

"Netto, Hub, can you hear me?" Glide appeared frantic as he spoke out.

"We hear you. What is it, Glide?" Hub asked the Navi.

"It's Yaito- Yaito-sama is in danger!"

"Yaito's in danger? How?" The news shocked him, but Hub wanted to get a clear idea of what was happening first.

"It's been ages and Yaito-sama still hasn't come out from the bath yet!" The Navi explained.

"What?" Netto was confused. "What's so terrible about that? Girls take long baths, don't they…?"

"Yaito-sama never takes long baths! It's not good for her skin!" Glide was quick to defend his operator before getting back to the matter at hand. "She was in the middle of her bath when gas started pouring out from the ventilation systems, and I fear she may have passed out from it- I attempted to access the systems myself, but there were just too many viruses to fight through! Please, you have to help Yaito-sama!"

"That sounds terrible…!" Hub frowned.

"There's no time to lose!" Netto decided. "If Yaito's in trouble, then we have to head over now- Let's go!"

* * *

When the two Hikari boys arrived at their friend's home, they found the front door locked.

"It won't open!" Netto declared once he gave the door one final kick.

"I guess we'll just have to access the systems through the cyberworld…" Looking around, Hub quickly found a port the two could plug their Navies into. "Zero, once you get in, locate the ventilation system as soon as possible and try and find some way to stop the gas from spilling in, okay?"

"I've got it."

"X, let's go, too." Netto took out his PET. "Plug in-"

"Rockman X!"

"Rockman Zero!"

"Transmission!"

The two Navies quickly navigated through the cyberworld, successfully locating the ventilation systems after a short while.

"We're in the ventilation systems." X said through the PET as he carefully observed the area. "There seems to be sign of tampering- The place is filled with gas clouds and broken faucets."

"So it's not just some sort of malfunction?" The idea that someone was actively trying to hurt their friend worried the younger Hikari greatly. "We have to locate the culprit before anything else happens to Yaito- Hurry!"

"Roger!" With that, the two Navies ran down the pathways, attempting to locate the control panel of the ventilation systems. Once they got deeper into the clouds of gas however, several Beetank viruses leapt out from within the cybergas, catching the two red and blue Navies in an ambush.

"Zero, watch out!" Hub quickly caught sight of the oncoming viruses. "Attack Battle Chip; Z-Saber! Slot in!"

With a flash, Zero cut through the projectile shots the group of Beetanks had sent their way, countering the viruses' attacks effortlessly.

"Now to take care of the rest of them!" Seeing their opportunity, Netto followed up on Zero's counter attack. "Attack Battle Chip; Giga Cannon! Slot in!"

Forming his hand into a cannon, X took aim at the Beetank viruses and fired, the blast swiftly piercing through their armour and deleting them collectively in an instant.

"Good job, X." Now that their immediate threat was over, Zero took a moment to address his companion. X merely shot him back a grin.

"Thanks- But we've got no time to lose. We have to find the control panel or whoever's responsible and put a stop to this as soon as possible." With a goal set in mind, X began running down the paths inside the network, all the while sifting through all the clouds of cybergas inside the systems. "Come on- Let's go!"


	82. Yokai Scandal 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey guys, before we begin, just want to ask you a quick question; so for those people who have been following on my "Yokai Scandal" series, you might already know I'm planning on making a Yokai Scandal doujinshi. Originally, my plan was to include the entirety of the Yokai Scandal chapters that i have put online plus some extras, but since the Yokai Scandal series have dragged on longer than I have originally planned (It was originally going to be only 3 chapters), I realized that the doujinshi may have a lot more pages than I've originally planned.
> 
> I want to keep the doujinshi on the cheaper side, like 8~10USD, but since there's a lot more pages now, that's a bit hard for me to do.
> 
> I'm wondering if some of you might want me to make the doujinshi just be completely "extra content" that's not posted online. You still get the main plot online, just not included in the doujinshi itself. That would significantly bump down the price for the doujinshi as well as the shipping costs, since it's dependent on weight. Or do you think I should just go on my original plan of including all the chapters of the main plot into the doujinshi? That way, while the cost might go up, you'll get something that feels more like a finished product more than a collection of just "extra stuff" that I couldn't put into the main story.
> 
> I might still go with my original plan of sticking all the things into the doujinshi, but it'll be nice to hear what you guys think.

"Forte! Forte, answer the goddamn door!" Serenade had forgotten the last time he felt so angry. The sprite had wanted to see how the demon and the siren were doing. Even Swallowman and Slur decided to tag along. They were nearing the demon's residence when Swallowman gasped, and began snickering. It only took him a second to realize why the incubus was acting that way.

"Shit. What do you want, Serenade?" It took the demon much too long to answer the door for the sprite's liking.

"Forte. Did you fuck the siren?" Serenade jumped straight to the point. Forte didn't answer, only looking at him with a blank expression, the demon's silence only infuriated the sprite more. "Are you serious?! Forte, I can't believe you actually- What were you thinking?!"

"With his dick, obviously." Swallowman's comment only served to add more fuel to the fire. The incubus narrowly avoided Serenade's fist in his face.

"Unbelievable!" Serenade turned back to the demon. "Forte, where is the siren? I want to talk to him."

"Uh..." The group turned to see the siren just standing there, having wrapped itself in a bundle of sheets, and if that wasn't incriminating enough, it's feathers were unkept and stuck out of all sorts of weird angles, the winged creature yawning as it rubbed its eyes.

Serenade pushed past Forte and approached the siren. "Rockman, did he force you?"

The siren blinked, appearing confused by the sprite's serious tone. "What?"

"The demon. Did he force himself onto you?" Serenade asked it once more.

This time, the siren seemed to have understood what Serenade was implying. The winged creature blushed, before he looked away, twirling some of its feathers in between its fingers. "No... Forte didn't force me, or anything."

Serenade was unconvinced. "I won't let anything happen to you. You don't have to say that just because he's here."

"Forte didn't force me!" The siren insisted, shaking its head. Its wings twitched in embarrassment. "I… I wanted to feel good!"

The siren's particular choice of words earned it a stunned silence from everyone, while Swallowman let out a low whistle. "Nice."

Serenade wasn't amused. He walked back out of the house, grabbing Forte's arm on the way out. "We need to talk."

Swallowman merely gave the demon a silent thumbs up as Forte was dragged away, before he invited him inside. During the entire exchange, Slur had remained oddly quiet as she watched the other four creatures talk. Assuming that Forte and Serenade would only be gone for a moment, Rockman had wanted to go and put his clothes back on before he noticed Slur.

The siren stopped dead his tracks, completely petrified besides from his quivering wings. He recognized those eyes. It was the figure that had approached him deep in the night.

* * *

"...So what is it that you wanted to talk about?" Forte asked once the two were a distance away from his home. "It seems important for you to go out of your way to wake me up early in the morning."

Serenade frowned. "I came here to tell you about returning the siren to the Surface, Forte."

The demon paused. "What?"

"The plan worked. The rumours have died down now, and no one suspects anything about you bringing a siren into the Undernet." Serenade explained, staring at Forte. "So, I just thought I would drop by and tell you that it's safe for you to take it back to the Surface now."

Forte fell quiet. He'd completely forgotten that there was a reason why Rockman had stayed with him for the extended period of time. The demon had gotten so used to the siren being there that he was now unable to fathom what it would be like if the winged creature was gone.

"Forte." Serenade seemed to have sensed what the demon was thinking. "He doesn't belong in the Undernet. You have to take him back to his home."

"I don't want to."

"What?"

"I… I don't want to." Forte said. "I don't want him to go."

"So you're planning on keeping him in the Undernet?" Serenade raised his voice, almost yelling at him. "You're going to keep him here against his will?"

"I'll let him decide." Forte didn't back down. He'd made up his mind. "If he wants to return to the surface… Then fine, I'll take him back. But I won't stop him if he wants to stay in the Undernet…"  _'...with me.'_

"You can't be serious." Serenade was both shocked and displeased by the relavantion. "The Undernet isn't a safe place for him."

"You said it just now- No one suspects he's a siren anymore." Forte argued. "Besides, I know the extent of my strength. Even if the Undernet is dangerous, I can protect him from it."

"...Fine." When it came to the demon's power, few in the Undernet can even remotely rival him. "You may be able to protect him from the Undernet- But what about you? You can't hide your past from him forever."

"I've told him." Forte said, without thinking. "He accepts me."

The sprite was visibly surprised. "You- You  _told_  him?" Then, his tone grew suspicious. "Everything?"

"...I told him why I became the way I am." The demon admitted. "I'll… I'll get to that other part later. But he'll understand. I'm sure."

"And if he doesn't?"

"Then I'll keep my word. I'll take him back to the Surface." Forte relented. "But only if he decides that's what he wants."

"Alright. I figured I should never had..." Realizing that was as far as the demon was willing to compromise, the sprite sighed. "...Why the sudden change, though, Forte? When you first brought the siren back from the surface, you had no idea what to do with him. But now, you seemed determined to keep him by your side- It's almost as if you want to take him as your mate…"

Serenade's words were something Forte had been thinking over as well- It was weird. Forte had known the siren just barely over a month and now he couldn't bare the thought of being separated from him, but he knew there was a reason for it. It was because Forte never had to worry about how Rockman saw him. He wasn't the infamous One-Eyed Demon to Rockman, he wasn't someone to be feared, or to be avoided to him. To Rockman, he was just Forte- and it was a feeling he'd missed ever since his father and sister…

"I don't know." Forte mused out loud. "Maybe… Maybe I do want to take him as a mate."

Just then, a loud crash was heard from behind them- It had come from the demon's home. The two creatures looked at each other, unanimously coming to the conclusion that something had gone terribly wrong, before running back to where they'd come from.

* * *

Forte re-entered his home to find the place in a mess. The furniture was broken, Swallowman appeared to be knocked out laying against the far side of the wall, and the siren's feathers' were all strewn across the room, some of it appeared to be broken or damaged- An obvious sign of struggle.

Instantly, Forte's eyes landed on the only creature that appeared to have been left unharmed.

"You!" He leapt towards Slur without giving it a second thought, wrapping a hand around her throat. "What did you do!?"

"Noth- Kuh! Nothing!" Slur coughed as she struggled to get out from the demon's grasp.

" _Liar!_ "

"Forte- Forte, stop!" Serenade grabbed one of his arms. "She can't breathe!"

With a snarl, the demon threw Slur aside, leaving Serenade to deal with her as he followed the siren's feathers to the back door, the trail disappearing entirely once he got outside.

"Fuck!"


	83. Chapter 69

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Mettaur Ex-Machina.

As Rockman X and Rockman Zero navigated their way through the ventilation systems, the two were constantly ambushed by viruses that leapt out from the cybergas at them, but their vigilance allowed them to take care of the viruses' attacks with relative ease. It was when they got near the control panel of the systems that they noticed a problem.

"The path up ahead is cut off!" X quickly realized. Looking around, the blue Navi couldn't find another path that could allow them to reach the platform on the opposite side. "The viruses must have damaged the systems somehow. We need to go back and find another way across."

"There's no time! Yaito's life is in danger!" Zero argued. "Keep looking- There must be something we can use around here to help us across!"

X frowned. He couldn't argue with Zero's logic, but he just didn't see any way they could make it across the gap- even with a running start, it was simply too wide for the two of them to jump across.

"Mettaur!"

"Huh?"

The Navi looked up to where the sound had come from, and he saw a Mettaur virus dangling from its pickaxe on one of the higher platforms about them. Then, the virus appeared to slip and lost its grip on its pickaxe. Before it could fall into the endless depth below, the Mettaur's fall was broken by the stream of gas that was coming out from one of the open faucets in the area surrounding them, the gas launching the virus all the way from their side of the area towards the opposite platform, the virus letting out a dazed squeak as it landed, collapsing onto the floor.

"Zero!" An idea had formed in X's head. "Did you see that?"

"See what?" Zero didn't appear to have come to his conclusion.

"We can use the cybergas coming out from these faucets to get across!" X explained as he went over to one that was pointed towards the platform opposite of them, the blue Navi turning the gear to close of the flow of gas. "We'll let the pressure build up for a moment, then when it reaches its peak, all we have to do is jump in front of it and the cybergas will send us over the gap!"

"That could work." Zero said as he thought over what X had said. "But how are we supposed to get in front of the faucet and turn the gear to let the cybergas out at the same time?"

"We'll-" X blinked. He hadn't considered that. "Well… I guess I'll go across. I'm lighter, so it'll be easier to send me over. You can turn the gear and let the cybergas out once the pressure's built up."

"I suppose…" Zero accepted X's explanation, but he still appeared worried. "Are you sure you'll be okay on your own over there?"

X nodded. "I'm sure. Besides, Netto-kun will have my back."

"Alright. If you're sure." Zero stepped behind the faucet. "When you get across, go on ahead to the control panel. I'll backtrack and look for another way over and meet up with you as soon as I can."

"Got it!"

"Well, here goes." As Zero turned the gear reopening the blockage, cybergas immediately bursted out from the pipe, shooting towards X and sending the blue Navi flying. As they had planned, the force had sent the Navi across the gap, and X landed unharmed over to the other side.

"I'm across!" X yelled to his companion to let him know he was safe. "I'm heading towards the control panel!"

"Great!" Zero yelled back. "I'll find some other way across- Don't worry! I won't take long!"

With that, the two Navies headed towards opposite directions, X quickly running down the paths inside the systems and located the control panel moments later. "I've found the control panel!"

"Alright! See if you can return the ventilation systems back to normal!" Netto said through the PET.

Nodding, X stepped towards the panel, but a whirring sound alarmed him. Leaping away, X barely managed to avoid the cyclone that was aimed at him. "Who's there?" The Navi yelled, summoning his buster once he'd regained his composure.

"Ho-ho… Airman, I am called..." A voice laughed as another Navi stepped out from the shadows, blocking X's way to the control panel. "And what do we have here? An intruder?"

"You're the Navi who's responsible for the ventilation systems malfunction and the gas, aren't you!" X quickly realized. He pointed his buster at the newcomer. "Return the systems back to normal this instant!"

"Ho-ho… I'm afraid that can't be done…" The Navi let out a chuckle, the large turbine in his chest making a weird clicking sound as he did so. "Her parents have yet to pay her ransome…"

"Ransome?" Netto was both shocked and confused.

"If they value the life of their daughter, then they'll pay up, ho-ho!"

"That's why you're doing this? For money?!" X was visibly horrified.

"We won't allow that to happen!" His operator shared his sentiment. "X, we gotta stop this guy!"

With a yell, X fired a charged shot at Airman, his opponent retaliating by shooting out another cyclone from the turbine in his chest, the two attacks colliding, canceling each other out.

"Buster attacks don't seem to work against this guy…" Netto had gotten better at reading his opponents. "Then what about this- Attack Battle Chip; Step Sword! Slot in!"

Raising his hand, X's hand turned from abuster to a sword. Seeing the blue Navi run towards him, Airman summoned another cyclone and sent it at X, but this time, the Navi was prepared. Disappearing the moment before Airman's attack could collide, he quickly appeared in front of Airman. "I've got you now!"

"Are you certain?" With a heave, a huge gust of wind shot out from Airman's chest turbine, the whirlwind pushing X back and blowing him away just as he was about to bring the sword down.

"Ugh!" X scrambled to his feet instantly after the gust of wind had knocked him over and flung him to the far end of the platform. "Darn! I can't get close to him!"

"Ho-ho… Is that all?" Airman seemed amused. "I had hoped that it would be that red Navi who confronted me…"

"Zero?" That was the first Navi X could think of who wore red. "What do you mean?"

"Hm… I do not know much of it myself, but Gospel seems particularly interested in the power of his Absolute Style…" Then, Airman paused. "Ho-oh. Perhaps I should not have said that. But not matter- You won't be alive for long to care!" The turbine in Airman's chest began to spun rapidly as Airman summoned his strength. X watched in shock as three tornadoes appeared around his opponent, before merging together into one gigantic cyclone. "Triple Tornado!"

"X! Watch out!" In that moment, a figure dashed in between X and the oncoming attack. "Area Steal!"

Grabbing X's wrist, Zero yanked the two of them out of the tornado's path, narrowly avoiding being swept up and blown away by the cyclone.

"Zero!" X beamed. "You made it!"

"It's a good think I did." Zero said. "Did you notice anything about that guy's attacks…?"

"Yeah. I realized." X nodded. "Now that you're here, we'll defeat him no problem."

"Another intruder?" Airman didn't seem to notice what the two red and blue Navies were planning. "No matter! I'll delete you all the same!"

"Let's do this!" Dashing forward, Zero formed his hand into a green saber. "Z-Saber!"

"Fool! I'll blow you away!" With a heave, Airman shot another gust of wind out from his chest turbine. "Tornado!"

However, Zero seemed to have expected this. Instead of slashing his saber at Airman, the red Navi stabbed it into the battlefield, allowing him to say grounded despite the attack. "Now, X!"

"I've got you!"

"What?!" The voice had come from behind Airman, but the Navi was unable to turn- while the giant turbine in his chest allowed him to summon powerful gusts of wind, he was only able to attack in a single direction. "This can't be!"

"Giga Cannon!" With a single shot, X pierced Airman's chest, cutting off the Navi's attack short and causing him to collapse to the ground.

"Guh, you two…!" Now that his turbine was damaged, it made a loud, creaking sound as Airman spoke. "You.. You might have defeated me… But be warned- Gospel! Gospel will…!" With a final scream, the Navi exploded as he was deleted, leaving the two Navies to wonder what is it that they had just heard.

* * *

"Uh… hmm…"

"Yaito-chan! You're awake!"

"E-eh?" The girl's eyes flickered open, falling onto the two Hikari twins. "Hub? Netto?! Wha-what're you two doing in my room?!"

"Yaito-sama! You were passed out from the gas during your bath, so Hub and Netto pulled you out of the bath before anything could happen to you! Remember?" Her Navi, Glide, quickly explained the situation.

"Oh… Is that so…" Now that she was reminded, Yaito seemed to recall the events that happened before she had passed out. Then, a thought occurred to her. "W-wait a minute! If you two took me out of the bath…" She turned to the two twins. "You two saw me naked!"

"What?!" Startled by the sudden turn of events, Netto spoke without thinking. "We didn't both go in! It was just- Hhmph!" Hub had covered Netto's mouth with his hand to stop him from saying anything incriminating.

"Just?" Yaito narrowed her eyes. "That means one of you saw me naked! Which of you was it?!"

The two Hikari twins looked at each other, before they turned and ran out of the room in unison, the sounds of a very angry girl yelling after them.


	84. Yokai Scandal 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Went and saw Ocean's 8 with my Dad. It was really good. I kind of liked how the Asian chick ended up being a flexer after the heist.

Slur was still coughing by the time Forte returned. Serenade attempted to stop him, but the demon easily pushed the sprite to the side.

"Start talking."

Slur clutched her neck, meeting his gaze. "I didn't do anything."

The demon's eyes narrowed. "I am going to  _break your arm._ "

"Forte." Serenade was desperately trying to stop the situation from becoming violent. "Be reasonable."

"Be reasonable?  _Be reasonable?_ " The demon now turned to him. "We left for ten minutes, and now Rockman is gone. He's never acted irrationally before. And now, the one instance she comes over, he goes missing!"

The sprite bit his lip. As much as he disliked it, that did seemed to be exactly what happened, and it placed Slur in an extremely suspicious spot.

"Oh… Fuck…" The group were interrupted by a groan. Swallowman had woken up, rubbing the side of his head. "Shit. What happened?"

"That's what I'd like to know." Forte directed the question at Slur once more, the underlying threat obvious in his voice.

"Forte, wait." Serenade seemed to have noticed something.

The demon snarled. He didn't want to take his eyes off his potential suspect.

"Look." The sprite attempted to direct his attention to where Swallowman had fallen. "It's not her."

Unwillingly, Forte moved his gaze to where Serenade was focused at. Swallowman followed the two of them, standing up and turning around the face the wall.

"Huh." The incubus mused. "And here I thought I was having another hangover."

In their haste, both Forte and Serenade hadn't noticed the large markings on the wall when they first arrived onto the scene. Swallowman stepped aside as the demon moved forward to investigate what appears to be claw marks stretched across the blank wall, touching the edges of the torn material before he cursed out loud.

"What is it, Forte?" Serenade wasn't sure what sort of conclusion the demon had come to.

"It's a dhampir." Forte said once he finished his inspection. "I'd recognize this sort of marking anywhere."

"A dhampir?" The sprite's tone changed. He looked at Forte. "You don't think…?"

"It has to be." There wasn't a single ounce or doubt or hesitation in the demon's voice. "It has to be him." The demon paused in thought briefly, before he turned to Slur once more. "You told him, didn't you?"

"Does it matter if I did or not?" Slur hissed back, fed up with being pushed around. "That siren never should have been here. Does it matter that now it's gone?"

"You…!" Forte nearly didn't resist the urge to tear her apart right then and there, but he quickly reminded himself there was something more important to worry about right now- He had to find Rockman. Locating his sword in the corner of the room, the demon moved to retrieve it, but Slur had stepped in front of him.

"Get out of my sight." Forte's could feel his patience rapidly fading.

"No." Slur was infuriatingly stubborn. "You're obsessed. It's unhealthy."

" _I'm_  obsessed?" The demon nearly laughed at the absurdity of her statement. "Have you even looked at  _yourself?_ "

"I  _accepted_  you." Slur argued. "When everyone feared you, I approached you. When everyone told me how dangerous you were, I didn't as much shy away. Even when you killed all of those creatures, I never once bat an eye- I  _know_  you, Forte. I know everything you did, and despite all of this, I never once rejected you." At this, she paused, as if daring Forte to question her. "Can you say the same for that siren? Does it even  _understand_  what you did?"

"You're delusional, if that's what you believe." Forte stared at her, scowling. "You didn't accept me  _despite_  what I did- You got close to me  _because_  of what I did." When Slur remained quiet, Forte continued. "You think I wouldn't know? You craved infamy, and you only befriended me because of it. I never took any joy in taking all of those contracts, but you're so deranged that you get enjoyment just being associated with someone who butchers other creatures- It's a nice story to tell, isn't it? Being friends with the infamous One-Eyed Demon? In fact, you were actually  _disappointed_  when I retired." Slur was unable to argue. The demon could see right through her.

"Don't think I didn't know what you planned to do when you brought up the subject of mates with Serenade. Such a shame it didn't go as you had wanted." Forte pushed Slur to the side, making his way to the door.

"That siren won't understand." Slur yelled after him. "Once it knows, it'll fear you, just like everyone else."

"That's for him to decide." With that, the demon headed to the only possible place he knew the dhampir could be.

* * *

 

Rockman gasped once he managed to get the blindfolds and gags off of him, tossing them to the floor and pulling the sheets around him tighter. The siren still wasn't changed. All he remembered was being attacked from behind before his sight had been obstructed.

' _What is this place?'_  The siren thought to himself, shivering. It was uncomfortably cold.  _'What happened?'_

"You're awake…"

The siren gasped, drawing his wings close to himself as he shrunk away from the unfamiliar voice. Rockman turned to see a figure with sharp, pointed ears and bat-like wings stalking towards him.

"Who're you?" The siren asked him, backing away until his back met a wall. The other creature was getting uncomfortably close.

"I didn't think your kind actually existed." The other ignored his obvious discomfort, bringing a hand up and taking the siren's chin in his hand, turning the siren's head as if he was inspecting him. "But you're just as pretty as the rumours said you were."

Rockman jerked his head away, eyeing the other uneasily, his reaction only drawing an amused gaze from the other creature.

"Don't worry. I won't hurt you- Yet." He chuckled. "I still need you for something. You might be familiar with a certain demon, blind in one eye?"

"Forte…?" The siren didn't know anyone else who fitted that description.

"He and I have some unfinished business." The other leered at him, and Rockman shivered. "I'm not sure if you've noticed, but his record is not exactly… clean."

"Forte's not like that anymore." The siren said. "He never even wanted to do all of it in the first place."

"...He hasn't told you." The other seemed surprised for a brief moment, before his expression changed into one more meticulous. "Of course he didn't tell you. You poor thing." As the other creature made a move to grab him, the siren began to struggle, bringing his arms up to defend himself while his wings flapped wildly in panic. He was quickly subdued when the base of his wings were grabbed, sharp claws squeezing with a force threatening to snap the delicate appendages in half.

"S-stop…" The siren's entire body was quivering. He was terrified.

"I'm going to have so much fun with you." Rockman gasped, his wings twitching when he felt a claw trail down it. He could feel the smirk on the other creature as he spoke. "You just sit tight for now. I'll tell you what he did- I'll tell you  _everything…_ "


	85. Chapter 70

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: There might be two days in late June that I'm unable to update LGOTN because of an event that I need to help with at school. I'm not sure if I'll be fully booked for those two days as of yet, but I'll be sure to notify you guys when I know.

"X?"

"What?"

Zero squinted. "Is it just me, or does that virus seem oddly familiar?"

X gave his companion an odd look before he turned his attention to where Zero was motioning to. It was not long after the incident at Yaito's house, and the two Navies were now plugged into the common net while Hub made sure his younger sibling actually did his homework. The blue Navi remained mostly confused for several more moments, before he saw the white, red and black arrow sticking out of one of the helmets of the group of Mettaurs that were slowly approaching them.

"Hey!" X smiled. "It's that Mettaur that helped us find that shrine in the Undernet!"

"Mettaur!" Having already noticed the two Navies from a distance, the Mettaur made its way towards them, a group of smaller Mettaurs trailing behind it. "Met~taur!"

"Huh. So Undernet Mettaurs are really larger than those in the common net." Zero mused to himself as he watched the group of Mettaurs chirping amongst themselves. Then, the red Navi noticed one of the smaller Mettaurs appears to have bandages around its helmet where it was cracked. "Hey. What happened to this one?"

"I think that might be the Mettaur that got sent flying because of the cybergas." X's suspicion was confirmed when the Mettaur visibly shrunk and let out what appears to be a grumble at his words. "You really helped us out a lot back there- We wouldn't have noticed the cybergas coming out of the pipes if it wasn't for you. I hope you aren't hurt too badly."

"Mettaur…"

"X…" Zero appeared to have remembered something. "Back when we were looking for the shrine, there was something about that Undernet Mettaur that I wanted to ask you about."

"Huh?" X had forgotten about it completely. "What was it again?"

"When that Mettaur appeared and showed us where the Legendary Power was…" At this, Zero gestured to the larger, Undernet Mettaur. "Didn't you find it too… convenient?"

X paused, thinking for a moment. "How so?"

"It's like it knew where we were, what we were looking for, and where to find it all at the same time." Zero explained, frowning. "Don't you think that it's suspicious? To think that a virus would know all of these things…"

The red Navi's words had undoubtedly got him thinking as well. "You're right. It's a bit hard to think that a virus would know about all of this… Do you think that maybe someone had told it what to do?"

"It's possible." Zero shrugged. It was about this point that the Mettaur of interest had noticed their slight change in composure and got curious. "Mettaur...?"

X looked down, seeing the Mettaur tilting its head at them, its large eyes blinking. "Maybe we can ask it?"

Zero raised an eyebrow. "Do you think it'll work?"

"Won't know if we don't try." Making up his mind, X knelt down, meeting the Mettaur at eye level. "Hey there, little guy."

"Mettaur!"

"I just wanted to thank you for helping us out in the Undernet once again." X approached it with a friendly attitude. "But there's something I want to ask you- If you don't mind?"

"Mettaur!" The virus didn't sound aggressive at all.

"I was just wondering- Well, you seemed to know exactly what you were doing back in the Undernet." X told it. "And, we were wondering there was someone who had asked you to help us out?"

"Met-taur!" The virus replied, and X had interacted with it in the Undernet long enough for him to tell when the Mettaur was making an affirmative sound. Briefly, he glanced back up to the other Navi besides him. "I think it's saying yes, Zero."

That relavantion had undoubtedly gotten the red Navi's attention. He turned to the virus. "Who was it?"

"Mettaur! Mettaur!"

"I… I don't understand it enough to know what it's saying." X said, a bit embarrassed. "I can only tell when it's trying to express something affirmative or negative."

"Oh." Zero considered this for a moment. "Do we know anyone in the Undernet that might want to help us out?"

"Do you think…?" X turned back to the Mettaur. "Was it a blue Navi with a purple cloak?"

"Mettaur!"

"It's her, Zero." The relavantion was shocking, to say the least. "It's the Blue Myth."

The two Navies fell quiet, before Zeo finally spoke. "What should we do, X?"

"I don't know." The blue Navi was troubled as well. "It's a bit weird to think she had a hand in helping us obtain the ability to Style Change…" There was a brief pause. Then, X appeared to recall something. "Zero, do you think we can reach Mega through this Mettaur? There's so many things about Style Change that we don't understand, and it's not exactly common knowledge that we can go ask around the internet for. Mega seems to be the only one we know that seems knowledgeable about Style Change. Maybe she can tell us more about this ability."

"Do you think she'll help?" Zero still seemed slightly skeptical.

"I don't see any reason why we shouldn't at least ask." X reasoned. "If she had asked this Mettaur to lead us to the shrine, perhaps she wanted us to find this ability." The blue Navi addressed the Mettaur once more. "Do you think you can find the Blue Myth for us?"

"Met~taur!" Giving a confident, affirmative nod, the Mettaur turned and trotted off, the group of smaller Mettaurs quickly following it, the group of virus slowly disappearing from the two red and blue NetNavies' sight.

* * *

"..Mistress?"

"Huh?"

"I do not mean to question your judgement…" Shadowman began, obviously concerned. "But…There was no reason for you to put your neck out for those Navies like you had…"

Rockman turned to Shadowman, smiling lightly. "I know you're worried about me, Shdaowman, but… I had to do it." The blue Navi's smile faltered briefly as he remembered what had happened moments prior. "...I think everyone deserves a second chance to become better, even them. Besides, it's not like they had a choice, considering who their operators were…"

Shadowman didn't argue with him on that point. The shadow Navi already knew that his Mistress was kind-hearted in nature, and no amount of reason or convincing would change that. He could only be more alert on Rockman's behalf to make sure that his kindness wasn't taken advantage of. "The Net Police will notice, sooner or later."

"I know." Rockman sighed. With what he just did, it was inevitable. "I'll… I'll figure something out, when I get to that point."

Shadowman nodded, silently acknowledging Rockman's decision. Not a moment later, a small ruckus was heard from a distance away. Curious, Rockman turned to where the noise had come from, to see a small group of Mettaurs approaching them. The blue Navi grinned as he saw the Mettaur leading the group.

"Hey there, Beep." Rockman greeted the Mettaur as it ran up to him, chirping happily. The Mettaur was easily recognizable by the arrow sticking out from its helmet, and the blue Navi had a certain fondness for this Mettaur- It was the same Mettaur that had approached him during his original timeline asking for help with their cyclone problem in their village, and the same Mettaur that had led Rockman to the Legendary Power when he had originally obtained the Ultimate Style. "How are X and Zero?" He asked the virus.

"Mettaur! Mettaur!"

Having the experience of interacting with the Mettaurs in the Mettaur village in the past and now with Scuttlest, Rockman can now easily understand what the virus was trying to convey. It appeared that the two Navies had ran into some sort of trouble with an air-turbine Navi, but from what he could tell, X and Zero seemed to have made it out of it unharmed. Rockman allowed himself a sigh of relief- With Gospel on the rise and their plans unclear, the blue Navi was a bit hesitant to take a moment to tend to his own devices, especially knowing all the trouble the two Navies tended to get themselves into, which was why he was glad when Beep seemed more than happy to help him keep an eye on X and Zero while he and Shadowman and left to meet with the three Navies the shadow Navi had found in the Undernet.

"Hmm, is that so?" Rockman patted the Mattaur on its head. "Alright. Thankyou so much for helping me keep an eye on those two."

"Mettaur!" Just as the Rockman turned to leave, the virus appeared to have remembered something, calling out after him while tapping one of its feet frantically.

"What is it?"

"Met-taur! Met-taur!"

"Wh-what?" Rockman couldn't contain his surprise once the virus had finished. "Really?"


	86. Yokai Scandal 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Woke up and both my arms hurt. I was confused until I realized it was probably from the prep day yesterday, where someone had the bright idea of making us crawl through the smallest cardboard box to get to a part from the room to another and back. Also, the Yokai Scandal series is coming to an end- Hopefully you guys enjoyed it. I had so much trouble pushing through this chapter you have no idea ugh.

The old city was deserted and inhabitable, its ruins acting much like a scar on the landscape. Forte narrowed his eyes as he neared it- If the dhampir was as into irony or symbolism as the demon suspected him to be, then there was no doubt in his mind that Forte would find him in the sanctuary, located underneath the city. He heard the other's laugh the moment he took the final steps down the staircase leading to the sanctuary.

"Whee-hee-hee…" The menacing voice bounced off the walls of the hollow structure, echoing throughout the entire area. "You've finally come…"

The demon looked up to see the winged figure of the dhampir perched atop of one of the chandeliers. He snarled. "Shademan. I should have hunted you down and killed you, too."

"Whee-hee-hee!" The dhampir was unfazed, merely spreading its leathery wings to gesture to the area around the two creatures. "After all these years, we finally meet here. Fitting, isn't it?" The chandelier made a soft ringing sound as the creature above it moved.

"The siren." Forte yelled at him. "Where is he?"

The dhampir's expression shifted briefly, before he flicked his wings, revealing the siren behind him. For a moment, the demon had wanted to draw his sword and leap at the dhampir, but Shademan seemed to have sensed his intentions. The siren let out a yelp as Shademan grabbed him by his hair roughly, angling his head upward so that his neck was exposed. "One step and I bleed him like a pig."

The demon visibly tensed, an action that did not go unnoticed by the dhampir.

"Empathy, eh?" There was a mixed combination of disbelief, amusement and anger as Shademan now turned to Rockman. "I'm intrigued. What is it that you feel, demon? Fear? Terror? Anger?"

"Let him go." Forte demanded.

"Your sword." The dhampir said, jerking the siren in his grip. "Toss it aside."

"..." The demon fell silent, but there was no hesitation when Forte took his sword and threw it away.

"...Unbelievable." It was obvious that Shademan didn't expect the demon to actually go through with his demand without so much as a second thought. "If only you could have shown the people in this city the same amount of compassion."

"I did as you asked. Now let him go." Forte said once more. "Your quarrel is with me."

"Is it now?" The dhampir's focus was now turned on Rockman, the siren's wings twitched nervously as he clutched the sheets around himself tighter. "Wouldn't you like to know why this city is abandoned?"

"Wh...What does it matter?" The siren's fear and confusion was obvious.

"I'll tell you why it matters." At this, the dhampir touched the siren's cheek with mock-gentleness. Rockman shrunk away from his hand. "This city wasn't always ruined, you know. It used to be one of the largest places of gatherings for nocturnal creature, like me, in the Undernet." As he continued, Shademan made sure to keep a close eye on Forte to make sure the demon wouldn't try anything. "It was quite a sight, little siren. Families thrived within the walls of the city, and many young, aspiring creatures would often come here to fulfil their own ambitions- Doesn't that sound nice?"

"Let go of me." Rockman didn't know where the dhampir was going with this tale, but the siren suspected it wasn't heading in a direction that he would like.

"Oh, you poor thing." Shademan snickered. "Do you know what changed? What caused the city to fall to into ruin as you see today?"

"..." The siren was breathing heavily now, clearly distressed and unnerved by the dhampir.

"It's because of that demon you care so much about." Shademan told him. "He butched everyone in the city."

"That's not true." Rockman shook his head. "You're lying."

"Oh, it's very true." The dhapmir's expression grew stern. "I said I'd tell you everything, didn't I? That demon attacked the city, unprovoked, killing everyone in his path. There were women and children, and he slaughtered them without thought. He was hellbent on destroying the city." Ignoring the siren's distress, Shademan yanked him back harshly when the siren attempted to jerk away. "But do you know what the real kicker is?"

"Stop. Stop it." Rockman was shaking. He didn't want to hear anymore.

"When his family begged him to show mercy, he turned around and killed them, too." Shademan laughed hysterically as he finished. "He murdered everyone in the city and his own family in cold blood."

"That's enough!" Forte snarled. he'd have enough of the dhampir terrorizing the siren. "I won't say it again- Let the siren go!"

"Whee-hee-hee!" With a flick of his hand, Shademan flung Rockman off the side of the chandelier. "As you wish!"

The demon only had a moment to catch the siren as he fell, pushing Rockman out of the way as Shademan swooped down from the ceiling not a moment later, barely managing to duck out of the way of the dhampir's sharp claws that were aimed at him. As Shademan cackled and continued to swing his claws and wings at the demon, Forte quickly found himself on the defensive- It would have been better if the demon had his sword with him, but Forte had tossed it away moments before, and he was unable to locate where his weapon was in the dim light.

During their fight, the dhampir had somehow managed to back Forte into a corner, the demon quickly realizing he wouldn't be able to dodge out of Shademan's next attack as the other raised both his wings, grinning wickedly.

"I've waited for this." The dhampir said, his eyes wild with fury. "You'll finally pay for everything you've done."

Gritting his teeth, Forte braced himself physically for the blow, and just as Shademan brought his wings downwards towards the demon, the dhampir suddenly faltered in his stance, gasping as his entire body jerked. "What the fuck-"

Looking down, it took Forte a moment to register the scene before him- Somehow, his sword had pierced the dhampir's chest from behind, and as Shademan collapsed, the demon blinked when he saw Rockman standing behind him, hands quivering. It didn't take Forte long to realize that the siren must have found his sword lying around somewhere in the sanctuary, before rushing to his aid by stabbing the dhampir in the back.

"Rockman." Forte stepped forward, reaching one hand towards the siren. "Are you alrig-"

The demon stopped abruptly when the siren flinched away from him, bringing his wings closer to his body as he shook and took a step back, his green eyes wide with terror.

Silently, Forte retracted his hand, but he was still concerned. "Are you… Are you alright?" He asked the siren once more, this time in a sofer tone.

"..." Rockman continued to stare at him for several more moments, both hands clutching the sheet around him tightly before he shook his head, tears forming in his eyes.

"I don't know… I don't know-"

With a wail, Forte watched as the siren before him began to cry.


	87. Chapter 71 (Okuden Valley)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So I was watching a MMBN2 walkthrough to refresh my memories of the Gospel Arc, and apparently there is a part where in order to pass the A-License exam, Rockman has to delete three NetNavies who ran away during an experimentation. And mister Takamisaki claims that the manga iteration of Rockman is the most evil. Imagine a 12 years old boy being told to kill people just to pass an exam. That shit is straight up fucked dude.

"Damn it, where are they? The bus is going to be here any moment!" Dekao grumbled, tapping his feet impatiently on the ground. The group of friends were at a bus stop waiting for a certain pair of twins to appear.

"I bet it's Netto, isn't it?" Yaito swung her legs off the bench she was sitting on. "He's always late! Sometimes, Hub has to drag him to school to get him to show up!"

"Come on guys, weren't both Hub and Netto really excited about this trip as well? I'm sure they'll show up any moment now." Maylu said as she looked around. True to her words, the two Hikari twins appeared down the street not a moment later and ran up to the group of friends waiting for them.

"Hey! What's the deal with you two? You're late!" Dekao yelled upon seeing the two twins.

"Sorry- Sorry!" Hub was still trying to catch his breath. "I tried to wake Netto-kun up, but…"

"Nii-san!" Netto cried, obviously embarrassed.

"It's okay." Tohru quickly stepped in, attempting to diffuse the situation. " At least you two made it just in time. Look- The bus in coming now."

As the bus arrived at the station, the group of friends got on, taking up the two back rows of the bus, the younger Hikari turning to his elder sibling as the bus started. "Phew. I'm glad we actually made it."

Hub gave him a look. "If you'd woken up ten minutes earlier, we could have avoided all of that rushing."

"Nii-san! I said I was sorry! Sheesh!" Mumbling softly, Netto looked out of the window. "I can't wait till we get to Okuden Valley, though. I wonder what it looks like?"

"I'm not sure myself." Hub mused. "But it'll be nice to spend some time with nature, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah! This is the first time we've ever gone camping, but I'm sure it'll be fun!" Then, the younger of the two appeared to consider something. "But this trip was kind of spontaneous, though. I nearly didn't make the time to go on this trip with you guys." Netto tilted his head slightly. "Why couldn't it have been next week, anyways?"

"Oh, no reason." At this, Hub looked away, his gaze meeting Dekao, Yaito and Tohru's before the four of them gave a collective nod.

* * *

Okuden Valley was a nature reserve near DenCity that was inhabited by a wide variety of wildlife, and as the group of friends got off the bus and made their way towards the campsite, they were awed by the scene surrounding them.

"It's not often that you see so many trees at once, huh?" Tohru mused as they walked up the hill.

"This is nothing compared to the vacations I go overseas!" Yaito huffed. Then, in a quieter voice, she continued. "...But I guess this is nice, too."

"There's fish in the river as well!" Netto said as he attempted to follow the river upstream with his eyes. "It seems to reach up all the way up to the campsite…"

"That's the river that powers Okuden Dam, isn't it?" Hub asked as he turned to Tohru, wondering if the other boy knew anything about it.

"That's right!" Tohru smiled briefly. "If I remembered correctly, most of Den City's electricity is generated from that Dam. We might even be able to see it in the distance once we get to the campsite."

After that, it didn't take long for the group to make it to their destination. Sometime during them setting up the campsite, Hub had approached Netto, the younger of the two was busying himself by collecting firewood.

"Netto-kun, I think Maylu-chan was just looking for you." Hub told his younger sibling.

"Huh?" Netto was confused. "What does she want?"

"I don't know." Hub shrugged. "She's down by the river, you should go meet her there."

"Alright, I guess." Dropping what he was doing, Netto left to the scene, his elder sibling looking on for several moments, making sure he was out of earshot before he turned back and said. "He's taken the bait."

All at once, Yaito, Dekao and Tohru emerged from where they had been hiding. "Do you think it'll work?" Tohru appeared uncertain.

"Trust me, it will!" Yaito spoke confidently. "Trust me, that place has the perfect atmosphere! I'm sure of it!"

"But Netto always has a thing for messing things up!" Dekao frowned. "I say we should follow them, and make sure nothing goes wrong?"

"Eh?" Hub blinked. While he had a hand in helping the group come up with this plan, he wasn't sure about spying on the two of their other friends. "Is that really okay?"

"You're right!" Yaito gasped, completely ignoring Hub's concern. "Let's go- Netto couldn't have gone far!"

The four of them quickly made their way down to where they had set Netto and Maylu up to meet. As they neared, the group could already see that the two appeared to be talking to each other. True to Yaito's words, the area indeed had a nice atmosphere, with soft, pink flowers scattered throughout the grass.

"These flowers only bloom in a very specific time of the year." Yaito seemed pleased of herself.

"Should we get closer?" Tohru asked, frowning. "I can't hear what they're saying…"

"If we go any closer, they'll see us." Hub told him. Then, the four of them held their breath as they saw Maylu gasp.

"Guys!" Dekao was the first to say something. "I think it wor-"

Then, the four of them watched as Maylu brought her hand up and slapped Netto across his face, shocking them.

"I hate you, Netto-kun!" Maylu cried as she ran away.

"What did I do now?!" Netto yelled after her, still oblivious as ever. As the four hidden friends watched the scene unfold, they let out a collective sigh.

* * *

"Pfft!"

Having watched the whole thing play out through the net, Rockman couldn't quite suppress his laughter as he watched Netto desperately attempt to figure out what he said wrong. The blue Navi couldn't completely blame him. Netto still had no idea that Maylu had a crush on him, but the extent of the younger Hikari's cluelessness still amused him to no end.

Shadowman didn't appear as entertained, but he seemed to recall something as he turned to Rockman. "Mistress? If I may ask you something?"

Rockman blinked. "What is it?"

"When you and the Black Shadow took each other as mates." Shadowman said. "Was it something akin to this?"

"Wh-what?" Rockman was confused. "Why- What made you think that?"

"That younger Hikari reminds me of you, somehow." Shadowman explained.

"..."

Rockman turned away, pulling his hood down lower over his head as he blushed. Granted, it was this iteration of Forte that had realized that Rockman might have harboured feelings of affection for the dark Navi despite him having interacted with Forte on multiple occasions in his original timeline, but he refused to believe that he was as clueless and oblivious as his operator, damn it!


	88. Yokai Scandal 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I've almost made enough on my storenvy that I can buy a music editing software. I've always wanted to get a music programme so I can do some piano remixes of some of the music I like.

The siren hadn't talked to him in days. Not that Forte blamed it. He would have been afraid as well, if someone he thought he trusted turned out to be a mass murderer. He would've been upset by this turn of events if he wasn't so disappointed in himself. Perhaps it would have been better had he been honest with what he'd done with the siren earlier, but he had been so afraid of what Rockman would think of him that the demon couldn't bring himself to say it. And now that Rockman knew, there was no way the siren would want to have anything to do with him now.

A soft creek brought him out of his thoughts, and the demon turned his head slightly. The siren was peeking at him through the doorway, and it was the first time in days that Forte saw the siren actually show any sort of acknowledgement that the demon was in the same house as he was.

"..." Looking away, Forte sighed. "I guess you'd like to return to the Surface?"

As he waited for an answer, Forte didn't realize that the siren had quietly crept towards him, until the winged creature was seated next to him.

"I…" Rockman stopped, taking a deep breath. It was obvious to Forte that the siren was nervous, if his quivering wings were of any indication. "F-first… I just wanted to apologize…"

Forte blinked. "What?"

"I… I, uh, shouldn't have just ignored you like that." Rockman was trawling one feather between his fingers. "I was really, really upset when I heard about what you did. It made me afraid, and that's why I didn't want to talk to you after that, but… But I shouldn't have done that." At this, the siren looked up, meeting the demon's gaze. "I realized, I didn't give you a chance to say anything, and that's not fair to you."

"What?" Forte was completely baffled. "Don't say that. You have nothing to apologize for." As the demon reached for the siren's hand, it gave him a small amount of comfort and relief when Rockman didn't flinch or shy away. "...I should be the one apologizing. I should have told you about my past sooner, but I was too afraid of how you'd react that I couldn't bring myself to be honest with you." Forte squeezed Rockman's hand softly as he paused. "...I see that I shouldn't have done that now. I should've just told you and allowed you to come to your own conclusions, regardless of what they were. You shouldn't have to learn about it like you had."

The demon felt Rockman's hand twitch, before the siren spoke. "So… Was it true? What that dhampir said?"

"...Some of it, yes." Forte said. There was no use denying it. "The city, my father and my sister… It's something that I regret, but it's a lot more complicated than what that dhampir made it out to seem."

"O-okay." The siren was clearly uneasy knowing that Forte had been the cause of the ruined city, but he still stayed. "So... what happened?"

"It was quite some time after I began taking contracts." Forte began, his look stern. "Each contract I fulfilled gave me more power, and by that time, some creatures were beginning to fear the extent of which my strength could grow to." The demon paused briefly, recalling something. "I think… I think it was at this time when my sister had realized that something was wrong with me. She tried to ask me what was wrong, but I refused to tell her. I assured her everything was fine." There was a short laugh. "I was just fulfilling my purpose, after all."

Rockman nodded. He understood that part. The demon had told him about it before.

"I'm still unsure to this day, but I suspect that some of the creatures who feared me might have overheard our conversation." Forte spoke softly, his lips twitching into a light frown. "It was a mistake on my part. I should have known my own infamy at that point, but somehow, it just never occurred to me."

"That's not your fault. You only wanted to protect your family." Rockman attempted to reason. "...It must have been hard on you, when your father and sister…"

"..." The demon didn't answer immediately. "...The creatures that feared me… They wanted to ruin me. Before, they never knew how, but after that…"

The siren appeared to have realized where this was going, the tip of his wings quivering as Forte continued. "They tricked me. The last contract I took, they only told me the building I had to destroy. I thought that it was just some sort of territorial dispute between different groups of creatures. I didn't think that-" The demon trailed off, his hands shaking. "I killed them. Among all the chaos. I killed them."

"Forte." Rockman wasn't sure what else to say.

"That dhampir, he was the one behind that." Forte snarled. "When I realized, he had fled to the city of vampires. He thought he was safe as long as he hid there." Forte watched as the siren's eyes widened, his wings giving another twitch. "So I went there, and I killed anyone who wanted to stop me."

The demon stopped, allowing some time for the siren to process what he had just said before he spoke again. "...I slaughtered everyone I saw, but I still didn't find him. By then, many Undernet creatures not even related to the vampires had noticed the destruction. That was when Serenade confronted me and attempted to convince me to stop, and that was how…"

"...I don't expect you to forgive me for what I did." Forte said after a brief moment of silence. "Even if I knew, in hindsight, I shouldn't have been so consumed by my rage as to murder all of those who were innocent… I would understand that if you hated me for that." The demon regarded the siren carefully, attempting to gauge its reaction. "So, if you wanted to return to the surface, I won't stop you."

The siren looked away, rubbing its arms nervously. Rockman bowed his head, as if in thought, while his wings drew closer to his body. The silence was beginning to get unnerving for the demon before Rockman spoke again.

"Forte...I don't hate you."

As the demon blinked, the siren elaborated. "I mean- Don't get me wrong. What you did was terrible. You're right, you shouldn't have killed all of those innocent creatures. I understand why you did it, but it's not right, and I hate that you did it."

"I don't understand." Forte was lost. "Don't you hate me?"

"I hate what you did." The siren said. "But… I don't hate you."

"Wh...what? Why…?"

"Because, you saw that it was wrong, too." Rockman told him. "You saw how it wasn't the right thing to do, how it hurt other people, so you changed your ways. That was why you retired, wasn't it?"

Forte couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Rockman, you…"

"I… I've been thinking, once we got back." The siren bit his lips, his hands grabbing onto the tip of one of his wings. "I remembered that I told you, that I think people who do bad things doesn't mean that that person is inherently bad themselves, and that everyone deserves a second chance to be better." At this, Rockman looked up, meeting Forte's gaze. "And… And I think, it wouldn't be fair of me, to not give you that chance just because I hated what you did, especially when you're already trying to change for the better."

The two creatures stared at each other in silence, before the demon leaned forward, taking the siren's hands and kissed him.

* * *

"...Hey, isn't that the One-Eyed Demon?"

"Shit, I think it is." There was a snort as the creature watched the scene before him. "I still can't believe someone would willingingly mate themselves to him…"

"If the rumours are to be believed, it's because his mate's a siren- The poor thing was either forced to become his mate or it just doesn't know any better."

"You're crazy, if that's what you believe- Sirens don't exist!"

"With all that's happening in the Undernet recently, who knows?" Then, the creature paused for a moment, seemingly considering something. "But… I envy them, somehow."

"What? Why?"

"I don't know. They just seem… happy. Somehow..."

_**End of Yokai Scandal** _


	89. Chapter 72

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So, it's confirmed that I won't be able to update LGOTN on 23/6 and 24/6. There's an event where I have to be posted there from the mornings to night because there's only like 6 people who to go around the whole event, all of us are sort of stretched thin. If I can, I'll try to get something up, but just saying in advance that I'm probably going to be too busy to do much during those two days.

"Ugh, that was so disappointing…" Yaito murmured as the group huddled together around their campfire for a barbecue. Besides her, Dekao mumbled in agreement.

"Huh?" Netto looked at them. "Did you say something?"

"It's nothing." Hub quickly interjected. Then, he said, after a brief pause, "Uh, Netto-kun? What happened to your face?"

"Uh, oh." The younger Hikari brought a hand up, wincing as he touched the side of his face. "It's nothing, Nii-san."

"Are you sure?" Hub probed again. "Did something happen?"

"Nothing…" Hub noticed his younger sibling glaring at Maylu as he mumbled. "I just don't understand girls…"

"..."

Sighing, the elder Hikari opted to take a bite out of the cooked fish he had instead.

"Say." Netto turned to his sibling. "Do you remember what a few days ago, what that Airman had said? Something about G… Gose…?"

"Gospel, I think." Hub frowned briefly as he recalled the event. "Why'd you bring it up all of a sudden?"

"I just suddenly realized." Netto shrugged. "Gospel sounds awfully ominous, doesn't it? Like WWW."

"You think that the incident at Yaito's house was planned?" Hub asked him, suspecting what his younger sibling was hinting at.

"Not just that." The younger Hikari made a face as he pondered. "I mean, if Gospel was like WWW, then do you think they're behind the virus attack in the Internet City as well?"

Hub blinked. He hadn't considered that. "Now that you've said it-"

Just then, a loud blaring sound shot throughout the area, and the group of friends looked towards the source of the noise.

"Wh-what's that noise?" Maylu was obviously concerned. "It sounds awfully close…"

"I think it might be coming from the dam." Tohru's eyes were wide. "DenCity's Waterworks has a similar alarm for when something had gone terribly wrong inside of the systems."

"How wrong?" Hub didn't like where this was going.

"When the water pressure inside of Waterworks got too high, and the pipes were in danger of bursting." Tohru stood up as he explained. "So… If this alarm means the same thing, then we have to get out of here now."

"What?" Netto still hadn't caught up yet. "Why?"

"The dam is uphill not far away from here." Tohru explained. "If the water pressure gets too high, it might cause the dam to burst. We'd get washed away by the water if we don't leave now."

"But- But Den City is just downhill!" Netto stood up, too. "If what you say is true, then the city will be flooded!"

"You're right." Tohru unwillingly acknowledged. "But there's nothing we can do about that."

"Of course there is!" Taking his PET in hand, the younger Hikari ran towards the source of the alarm. "If there's a system malfunction, then me and X are gonna take care of it, no problem!"

"Netto-kun!" Maylu yelled, attempting to stop him, but the boy was already nowhere in sight.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure he stays out of trouble!" Making a grab for his PET too, Hub ran after his younger sibling. "You guys get to safety!"

* * *

As the two twins approached Okuden Dam, Netto quickly located a plan where they could plug into the dam's system.

"Tohru said that the alarm meant the water pressure inside the dam was too high." Hub attempted to lay out the situation carefully before proceeding. "And the water pressure is probably controlled through some sort of main system…"

"So we just have to locate the main system of the dam and figure out what the problem is!" Netto then looked at the screen of his PET. "Did you get that, X?"

"I've got it!" The Navi nodded. "Leave it to me!"

"Alright then!" Netto grinned, taking the connection cable in his hand. "Plug in-"

"Rockman X!"

"Rockman Zero!"

"Transmission!"

The two NetNavies entered into the computer systems of Okuden Dam in a flash of light, quickly observing the area around them.

"That's weird!" X noticed. "There doesn't seem to be any sort of malfunction, or viruses in sight!"

"But that doesn't make sense- The alarm's still sounding." Hub reasoned. "If it were an accident or drill, then they would've turned off the alarm by now."

"I guess that means we should still check out the dam's computer systems." Netto pondered. "Maybe it's a NetNavi who's behind this- Be careful, you guys."

"Got it." X was slightly suspicious of the situation before him as well. Cautiously, X and Zero began to navigate through the pathways of the computer systems, attempting to locate the main control systems of the dam. For several moments, both Navies didn't notice anything amiss inside of the systems, but as X stepped a foot onto one of the splitting pathways, a soft click was heard.

Snapping into action, Zero grabbed X by the arm and pulled the other Navi back instantly. "Watch out!"

The moment the blue Navi fell backwards, the path before them exploded, throwing the two Navies backwards and the data that made up the pathway broke apart, some dissipating into the air while the rest of the broken data fell into the depths below.

"Shit…" X stood back up slowly as he regained his composure. "What was that…?"

"Someone rigged the path to explode." Zero realized, getting to his feet as well. "Whoever did this might have expected someone to come by this way. Maybe that's why there weren't any viruses."

X fell quiet for a brief moment, before he turned to Zero. "Thanks for pulling my back, Zero. I might have been deleted if it wasn't for that." Then, he looked back to the road ahead. "...I don't think whoever did this had only set this single bomb for us to stumble upon. There's so many different paths leading everywhere, there could be bombs everywhere. We have to be really careful moving forward."

The red Navi nodded in agreement. "We have to be quick as well- There's definitely someone messing around with Okuden Dam's system, and I'm not sure how long we have until the dam bursts from the pressure."

"Got it." X began to make his way towards another path, but he was cut off by a series of soft, chattering sounds that seemed to be coming from above and around them.

Zero appeared to have noticed it as well, quickly bringing his hand up and forming it into a sword. "...I guess we spoke too soon about there being no viruses in the systems, huh?"

The instant Zero finished his sentence, a swarm of Fishy viruses descended upon the two NetNavies.


	90. Chapter 73

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I just spent like 30 minutes reading google translator's version of LGOTN. It's really something, especially when you translate it from English to Chinese, then back to English back again. It's really something.

As X and Zero sped through the pathways through Okuden dam's systems, they had to fend off hordes and hoards of fishy viruses while being on the lookout for possible bombs at the same time. With a slash of his sword, Zero had deleted yet another group of fishy viruses that had made a mad dash towards them, but the deleted viruses were quickly replaced with other viruses, aggressively pursuing them throughout the computer systems.

"They just keep coming!" Zero yelled as he swung his sword over and over. "We need to take care of these viruses quick, or we'll be overwhelmed!"

"We can use our Programme Advances and delete them- That will be strong enough, won't it?" Pointing his buster at another virus, X took his shot, the energy projectile deleting the fishy virus swiftly, but another one had flew up to him, nearly colliding with the blue Navi and knocking him off his feet as it charged.

"It won't work!" Zero yelled as the two Navies were being backed up into a corner by the sheer number of viruses attacking them. "Our Programme Advances are too focused- We need an attack, or something that will do a large amount of damage among a wide-spread area if we want to thin them out!"

"A large, spread out attack…" X pondered out loud as he charged his buster. Then, an idea came to his mind. "Zero, do you think we could…" He quickly told Zero what he had in mind.

"...That might just work." Zero said after a brief moment of consideration. "Do you know where the nearest one is?"

"There's one up just down that path over there." X gestured to the location indicated by his scanners.

"Alright. Then all we need is an opening." Zero narrowed his eyes as he observed the large swarm of fishy viruses surrounding them. Then, with a swing of his sword, he cut through several of the speedy viruses, creating an opening in the cloud of viruses around them.

"Now!" Seeing their opportunity, the two Navies leapt forward at once, the group of angry viruses giving chase as X and Zero ran. Several of the fishy viruses attempted to charge at the fleeing Navies, but the two of them didn't as much slow down until just before they reached their intended destination.

"Ready?" Looking at Zero, X gave him a short nod before he turned to the viruses quickly approaching them. "Hey! We're over here- Come at us!"

The viruses fell for the bait almost instantly, and the group in front immediately dashed towards the two Navies, the other viruses behind them quickly following their lead. Once the fishy viruses were close enough, both X and Zero turned towards the path ahead and leapt.

"Area Steal!"

The two red and blue Navies disappeared, and the first of the viruses rammed itself into the pathway where the two Navies had been on just a moment prior. With a small click, a bomb was set off, exploding in a large ball of flame, the group of viruses unable to change the direction they were heading in quickly enough to avoid the blast, and were swiftly deleted as they were engulfed within the flames.

"We did it, Zero!" Appearing at the other side of the path, X shot the other Navi a grin. "And look- The control panel's right there!"

"Alright!" The red Navi walked forward, approaching the panel. "Now to see what the problem is-"

Before he could take another step, a red and gold blur flashed before him, and Zero was abruptly knocked back by a strong force slamming into him.

"Zero!" X rushed forward immediately. "Are you okay?"

"I'm-" The red Navi coughed, still recovering from the attack. "I'm fine…" Then, the two Navi's attention was quickly drawn to the newcomer before them as he spoke.

"Well, well, well- What do we have here?" Smirking, the red and gold Navi crossed his arms. "Looks like we have two uninvited guests arriving to the party!"

"You're… you're the one that's overriding the systems and controlling the water pressure of Okuden dam, aren't you?" X quickly realized.

"Heh. Aren't you a smart one." Wagging his fingers at the blue Navi, the Navi continued. "I guess there's no use hiding it- I'm Quickman, and I've taken control of the dam's turbine systems. In just several moments, the water pressure will finally break the dam and wash away Den City with it!"

"That's terrible!" X yelled. "Why would you do that?!"

"Isn't it obvious?" Quickman's grin turned wicked. "To show them fear- The people of Den City have lived in obliviousness for far too long. It's time to show them the meaning of true fear!"

"You-" Zero paused as something suddenly occurred to him. "Don't tell me you're also with Gospel!"

Quickman seemed genuinely surprised by Zero's words. "How did you… Heh, it's that loudmouth Airman, isn't it?" He snorted at that. "Hmph. Idiot couldn't keep his mouth shut and failed to delete you. But don't worry- I won't be as easily defeated as that slow fool!"

Without giving a chance for the two Navies to react, Quickman threw a boomerang at the two, X and Zero just barely managing to avoid the attack as they leapt away.

"We won't let you do that!" Aiming his buster at the red and gold Navi, X lined up his shot, but before he could fire it, Quickman had disappeared into a blur, leaving the blue Navi baffled and alarmed.

"H-he disappeared! Whe-"

In an instant, Quickman appeared before him. With a gasp, X attempted to jump back or duck away, but Quickman had landed a kick in his abdomen, knocking the air out of him before disappearing entirely again.

"X!" Seeing his companion stumble, Zero rushed forward to help him, but he'd lost track of the red and gold Navi as well. "Damn it, where is he-"

"Peekaboo!"

Startled, Zero turned and swung his sword, but he was unable to hit the Navi behind him. Instead, Quickman had slashed the red Navi with his boomerang, damaging him before he faded into a blur once more.

"He's too fast to see!" X realized, the Navi keeping his buster ready as he looked around, trying to locate their opponent.

Zero cursed as he scrambled back to his feet. "There's no way we can hit him. We have to wait for an opening to counter attack somehow."

Plan in mind, the two Navies stood with their backs against each other, Zero with his sword raised, prepared to strike at a moment's notice, and X with his buster charged as he listened for the whirling sounds their opponent was making for a hint of where the red and gold Navi would attack from.

Then, with a sudden step forward, Quickman struck again, his attack aimed at Zero once more. Just as Quickman raised his boomerang, Zero drove his sword forward to where he saw the red blur flash before his eyes briefly. Quickman's attack had struck Zero on his shoulder, the red Navi hissing as he clutched the wound. "Shit- Did I get him?"

Before X could answer, he was interrupted by a soft thud. Looking towards where the sound had come from, the blue Navi saw that Quickman had fallen onto the ground, with a large gash over his back and pieces of broken data breaking off from his wound.

"You- you…!" Wincing in pain, Quickman seemed to have come to the realization that he wouldn't be able to continue fighting, having sustained such a wound. "T-tch! You got lucky this time! Next time, however…!" With a snarl, the red and gold Navi had logged off from the computer systems.

"Ah! He's gone…" Then, he snapped back into focus. "The control panel!"

Running up the the control panel, X quickly returned the systems back to normal, allowing himself a sigh of relief as the water pressure levels begin to lower and slowly return to normal. Once the immediate threat of Okuden dam breaking was resolved, X turned back to his companion. "Zero! Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine." Zero insisted as he shakingly got back up, still holding the wound on his shoulder. "...Something feels off, though…"

"Huh?" X was confused. "What does?"

"...When I struck that Navi… He was coming directly at me. If I did manage to hit him, then the wound should be at the front, right?" Zero frowned at this. "But the wound he had was on his back…"

X blinked. It was obvious that the blue Navi hadn't considered this. "But… If it wasn't you , then who could have…?"

"Oh. I didn't expect you to figure me out that quickly. Oops?"

Both Navies turned to the new voice, gasping as they saw who it was.

"Mega?!"

The Navi smiled.

"Hello, X and Zero."


	91. Chapter 74

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Bit of a longer chapter, but you guys won't be getting any for the next two days- Sorry, it might have been better if there were more people in our club but with only six people and two people unavailable tomorrow, we're spread out pretty thin. Anyways, hope you guys enjoy this chapter.

Maylu was worried. Both Hub and Netto had been staring at the screen of Netto's PET ever since they got back from Okuden Den. "Is everything alright?" She asked the two twins.

"A-ah! Maylu-chan!" Hub looked up, a bit flustered. "We're fine! What is it?"

"You two've been looking at your PET non-stop ever since you got back… Did something happen?"

"It- It's nothing important, really! It's- huh?" Trailing off, Netto put the PET up to his ear and holding it there for a moment, before setting it down and turning to Hub and Maylu. "Say- Didn't Tohru and Dekao said they wanted to go slightly off trail and see if they could find any spotted deers?" The younger Hikari grinned. "We should go join them! It'll be cool if we'd manage to find some!"

"..." Maylu frowned slightly. The girl knew that Netto was intentionally avoiding the subject, but he also knew the boy well enough to realize that there was no way to get the younger Hikari to talk about anything he didn't want to. "...Alright. But we shouldn't go too far away from the camp, so that we don't get lost."

As the screen of the PET flickered off, Rockman couldn't help the series of conflicting emotions that washed through him; There was the feeling of whimsical nostalgia, but there was also the slight hint of sadness and longing as Rockman turned away from the now dark screen.

' _It's just like when I used to talk to Netto-kun through his PET.'_

"So, uh…" Rockman looked at the other Navi inside of the PET with him. "...So, did that Mettaur actually found you, or…"

"Oh, you mean Beep?" Rockman offered X a soft smile as he went over to the side of the PET, trailing his hand carefully along the walls aligned with data storages.  _'Even the layout of everything is still the same…'_

"He found me not long after you and Zero defeated airman." Rockman said, looking back at X. "Speaking of which, I hope Zero's still doing okay. He's pretty damaged from your fight just now."

"He'll be fine. He just needs some time to recover in his PET." The other Navi scratched the back of his head as he spoke, still unused to having another NetNavi in his PET with him, especially one that he didn't know very well. "...So, you'll help us with Style Change…?"

"Of course- I wouldn't be here otherwise!"

"Okay. That's- That's good to know." X seemed relieved at the answer. "Still… I can't believe you're actually in the same PET as I am- I can't believe that you're willing to stay inside a PET. I didn't think Undernet Navies liked humans very much, or wanted anything to do with us."

"I guess I'm a bit different from those Undernet Navies, then?" Rockman laughed briefly. "Besides. I won't be staying for long. I'll be returning to the Undernet shortly after I tell you what I know about Style Change."

"Alright." X nodded. "...But why didn't you just say what you needed to, just now?"

"Because, there's a lot more to Style Change that can be said in just several minutes." Rockman shrugged. "And, I didn't want to interrupt Hub and Netto-kun's camping trip with their friends."

"Oh, is that so?" X paused briefly, as if considering his words. "Hey, uh- I don't want to sound presumptuous, or anything, but…" The Navi then looked away, appearing flustered as he continued. "...Well, it just seems like, whenever we run into trouble, you always appear…"

Rockman blinked when he noticed how awkward X was acting. "I- I just wanted to know if there was any reason for it? " Then, seeing the look Rockman was giving him, X quickly added. "You- You don't have to tell me if you don't want to- I totally understand!"

"..."

Rockman was baffled and confused by how the other Navi was acting. He'd realize that X seemed awkward and uncomfortable around him in the previous times he interacted with him, but he mostly chalked it up to the two of them being not very well acquainted with each other, but with how flustered X was acting, Rockman wasn't sure if that was the case anymore.

' _Is it because of something I did? Or something I said?'_  Rockman pondered to himself.  _'Or- Wait a minute. Could it be…'_

It was no secret to Rockman that most people saw him as female. Did X's behaviour towards him possibly had something to do with that?

"Uh, I guess I kind of made things awkward again, didn't I?" Mistaking Rockman's silence for something else entirely, X threw both his hands up, laughing embarrassedly. "I'm sorry about that, I'm just not very good with, uh…"

"..."

' _Oh my god.'_

Rockman unconsciously brought a hand up to cover his mouth at the revelation- He didn't think he'd ever notice the other Navi acting so awkwardly around Roll, but considering the times where X had seemed uncomfortable around him the two Navies were alone and not surrounded by any other NetNavies…

Rockman wasn't sure how to feel about this newfound knowledge. He made a mental note to confirm whether his suspicion was true or not, but aside from that, the rest of the day passed rather uneventfully after that.

* * *

It was late at night when Netto had took out his PET once more- The twins were sharing a tent apart from their friends, so the two of them would be fine as long as they kept quiet.

"Hello, Netto-kun!" Rockman greeted once the screen of the PET was turned on.

"Hi, Mega!" Netto smiled. "...Man, it still feels surreal, having you in my PET…"

' _Trust me- The feeling is mutual.'_

"So, is there anything about Style Change you can tell us about?" Hub had plugged Zero into Netto's PET using an extension chip. "Like… how it works, or how to control it?"

"I've gone over this with X before, but the way Style Change works is quite simple." Rockman said. "It's basically achieved like how Programme is achieved through Full Synchro- But instead of that, a Perfect Synchro is needed instead." The blue Navi shrugged at that. "Just think about the feeling you have when you enter into Full Synchro, but with the added benefit of being able to share your consciousness between Navi and operator."

"So that's what happened…" Hub appeared to have realized something after listening to Rockman's brief explanation. "When I met Zero inside of the cyberworld, it's actually me sharing my consciousness with him…?"

"Right." Rockman nodded. "It's extremely useful in that any thoughts you have between the two of you are shared instantaneously, but it can also be quiet dangerous."

"Eh?" Netto's confusion was obvious. "How so?"

"While in Perfect Synchro, the operator is basically sending his consciousness into the cyberworld through their NetNavi." Rockman's tone grew stern as he explained. "However, that does not mean the operator's mind and body are now separated- in fact, they are still very much connected."

"I see." X caught on quickly. "So everything that happens to the Navi while they are still in Perfect Synchro, it'll actually happen to the operator in the real world- is that right?"

"That's correct." Rockman confirmed. "In the worst case scenario, if the NetNavi were to be deleted while in Perfect Synchro, then the operator…" He trailed off, but judging by the looks on the other's faces, they seemed to have realized what Rockman was implying.

"...If that's the case, then we definitely can't lose control during Style Change." Zero decided. "Is there some way we can control it?"

"You'll need to maintain a strong enough will so that you don't get drowned out by the sudden surge of power when you Style Change." At this, Rockman turned to Zero. "The power that Style Change gives you is overwhelming, which is why if you lose yourselves, your consciousness could get lost and your body will begin to act on its own, unleashing that power on everything surrounding you."

"...That makes sense." X considered his words. "But how would we do that?"

"Well…" Rockman paused. In his previous timeline, he had gone absolutely berserk at least twice before he had abruptly snapped back into awareness when he nearly deleted Blues in an accident, but he didn't want X and Zero to have to go through the same thing- It was both dangerous and unnecessary. Gospel was still in the early stages of their plans. They had time.

"I… I'm not too sure about that myself..." Rockman admitted. "But, I would attempt to ease into it, instead of trying to jump into it all at once."

"'Ease into it'?" Hub raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Think of it like this- The synchronization between a NetNavi and his operator can be measured by a certain percentage." Rockman attempted to explain. "And while Style Change only occurs after a certain percentage is met, you can reach that required percentage either by suddenly jumping up towards that number, or by gradually increasing the number until it reaches it."

The blue Navi paused briefly, allowing the two Hikari twins and their NetNavies to take in what he just said. "If I have to explain it, the reason why Hub and Zero were unable to control your Style Change was because you were thrust into it too suddenly. You had no idea what had happened, which was why your consciousness was vulnerable and had been dragged under while you and Zero were in Absolute Style."

"But, if you were already accustomed to some level close or near to Perfect Synchro, even if it might not be the exact amount required to trigger Style Change, you'll at least have some experience with being in Perfect Synchro to be prepared, making it less likely for your consciousness to get lost when you do trigger Style Change."

"That doesn't help us much…" Zero murmured, and Rockman couldn't say he blamed him- What he had just said had been rather vague, after all.

"I'm sorry I can't explain it better." Rockman sighed. "But… An advice I would give it to be more aware of both your own thoughts, and the thoughts of your operator or NetNavi."

"But- But we're not mind readers!" Netto said. "How are we supposed to do that?"

"You'll know it when it happens." Rockman just smiled as he met Netto's gaze. "Trust me. If… If the bond between you and your NetNavi is strong enough, then you'll have no trouble mastering Perfect Synchro, and even Style Change. I'm sure of it."


	92. Chapter 75 (H)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: After that clusterfuck of an event, I now need some time to get back into the swing of things. It's not that the event was bad, or anything, but having to stand guard at an escape room to make sure none of the participants break any shit is really draining, especially when you get some who are as young as 13~15.

"Wh-where am I?"

Rockman looked around. The area he was in was oddly familiar. It was Den City's cyber world, but something was very, very wrong.

"Where is everyone?"

The area was unnervingly devoid of another other NetNavis. It was as if the entire cybernet had been abandoned. The blue Navi began shaking.

' _That's right, I was fighting the Cybeasts just before, wasn't I…?'_

What happened to everyone? Did he fail? Rockman clutched himself, eyes wide.  _'This isn't the future I wanted!'_

"...Mega?"

Rockman gasped as he sat up, jolting awake suddenly. Wrapping his cloak tighter around him, the blue Navi took a moment to steady himself.

"Mega? Are you alright?"

The Navi turned to the other NetNavi besides him. He was confused by the other's presence for a brief moment, before Rockman realized he must have fallen asleep while still inside of X's PET. "I'm fine. I just, had a dream. That's all."

It was X's turn to be startled. "You dream?"

"I-" Rockman paused, internally berating himself for speaking without thinking. He'd forgotten how uncommon it was for NetNavies to dream, and that he was one of the few who could. "...Sometimes, yeah."

"Oh." X appeared to consider his reply. "...Was it bad?"

"...I'd prefer not to say." Rockman still had no idea what his dream was all about.

"That's alright." Thankfully, X nodded understandingly. "Sorry if I sounded suspicious… I dream, too. I just didn't think a lot of other Navies did, aside from Zero."

If Rockman needed anymore proof that doctor Hikari had programmed all three of them, then there it was. Briefly, he considered how else X and Zero were similar to him, before the screen on the PET turned on.

"We're back in Den City now." It was Netto Hikari. Rockman realized that the group of them had most likely gotten off the bus returning from their camping trip. "So… do I just plug you back into the net from anywhere?"

"Yes. Anywhere would do." Rockman smiled. "I can find my way back to the Undernet myself."

"Alright then…" Rockman watched from the PET as the brunette looked around, before going over to one of the streetlights on the side of the road and plugging his PET into one of the sockets.

"W-wait." X spoke out just as Rockman was about to plug into the internet. "If it's alright- Can we know when you'll show up again?"

"I don't know." Rockman shrugged. "I can have Beep follow you, if you'd like. You can reach me through him if you ever need my help."

"That Mettaur, huh?" X nodded. "Alright. We'll do that."

"Oh! That reminds me." Rockman turned back to the other NetNavi. "X, Netto-kun, you have to be careful of Gospel."

"Gospel?" That got the Hikari's attention. "Wait- You know about them?"

"Like with WWW, I'm currently investigating Gospel myself." Rockman explained, frowning slightly. "But… as of yet, I'm still unable to determine their plan of action. All I know is that they'll become more and more prominent within the net as time goes on." At this, the Navi looked straight at Netto. "Take care of yourself. Don't do anything stupid and get hurt, alright?"

"R-right." The boy was clearly confused and startled by the Navi's sudden change in tone. "Okay. I'll do that."

Sighing to himself, Rockman offered the two one last smile before he leapt into the net.

* * *

"Where have you been?"

Rockman paused. He had entered the Undernet for just several moments before Forte found him, though he was confused as to why the other appeared so agitated and displeased. Then, rather belatedly, the blue Navi suddenly realized that his decision to approach and stay with the two Hikari twins had been a last moment decision. Forte had probably been looking all over the Undernet for him while he was in Netto's PET.

...Oops.

"No answer?" Seeing his silence, Forte stalked closer. "I'm almost contemplating just tying you to me if you're going to keep on disappearing on me like that in the future."

"Forte." While Rockman knew that it was his fault and that the other's worry wasn't entirely unfounded, he didn't doubt that the dark Navi might just go through with what he had just suggested. "Come on. Be reasonable."

"It's difficult. You infuriate me so much, sometimes." Forte said as he took Rockman's wrist in his hand, gripping firmly.

"..." Rockman sighed. "I'm sorry. I know I should've told you earlier, but it was a sort of in-the-moment decision for me as well. I realize I shouldn't have done that."

Forte narrowed his eyes, regarding the blue Navi carefully. "At least you retained that part of what we've spoken about before."

"I didn't mean to forget about it!" Rockman attempted to defend himself, but he quickly shrunk back in guilt and embarrassment under the other Navi's gaze.

"Hm." Forte pulled him closer by his wrists, allowing the dark Navi to loom over him, slightly intimidatingly. "And what do you suppose will make you remember?" Rockman couldn't suppress the shiver that shot through his body as the other spoke. The two Navies were too close, intimately so. Forte, however, took this as an opportunity to take their conversation in a completely different direction.

"So, that's what you want, huh?" The dark Navi was intentionally misinterpreting Rockman's reactions. Blushing at his words, Rockman attempted to shrink back, trying to struggle out of the larger Navi's grip, but Forte just held him tighter. "You like it when I allow you the illusion of possible resistance, only to show you you never had it to begin with."

"Forte!" Rockman knew the dark Navi was attempting to get a reaction out of him, but he couldn't help himself. "That's not- Hhhhmn!"

Before he could protest any further, Forte had leaned in and kissed him, biting down on his lower lip firmly, but not enough to actually hurt. Then, the dark Navi had forced him onto the floor, before his mind could catch up to what had just happened. Flustered and embarrassed, Rockman brought his hands up, attempting to stop the Navi above him, but the other subdued him with ease. Pushing the blue Navi down with his chest against the floor and tearing his skinsuit off in one fell swoop, Rockman was only allowed a brief moment to recover before he felt something force its way into him completely.

"Ow!" Rockman winced as he felt the other's length bottoming out inside of him. He turned his head the best he could to glare at the Navi on top of him. "Not so rough! It hurts!" He had taken the other into him multiple times before, but this time Forte had just forced his way into him without making sure the blue Navi was aroused enough to accept him.

The other Navi merely snorted, bucking his hips into the Navi underneath him, Rockman letting out a gasp and whine in response. "How else am I supposed to make you remember?" Forte murmured into his ear, biting the back of Rockman's neck as he began to thrust into him while keeping the smaller Navi trapped and immobile under him.

"Uha! Hn-nnn…!" Rockman shook, his body jerking with every inward thrust. It was uncomfortable, and his insides clutched awkwardly around the other Navi, as if attempting to stop the other from forcing into him so deeply, but repeated stimulation as Forte thrusted into that innermost spot inside of him had caused his body to begin producing slick to accommodate the Navi above him, and Rockman groaned, resting his forehead against on his forearms as he felt his body beginning to allow the other Navi to slide in and out of him with relative ease, unwillingly whining with each inward push as his inner walls were stretched.

The blue Navi continued to gasp and moan as his inner opening was repeated thrusted into, each slam against it drawing out a shiver as his soft walls clutched around the length parting it. Then, there was an unexpected, prolonged pause, where Rockman was allowed to gather himself. Half-dazed, he looked up at Forte, his look somewhat confused, but also worried and suspicious. "F-Forte…?"

He yelped when Forte suddenly hiked one of his legs up to his own shoulders, while keeping the other one pressed down. Rockman blushed, slightly panicked at that fact that his intimate parts were being exposed in such a way even if the other Navi had seen him there many times before. "Forte! What are you…!" Rockman stopped abruptly mid-sentence when he felt Forte press the tip of his length against his opening once more, spreading the soft petals apart. The slick gushing out in between his legs would allow the other Navi to slide into him without much resistance, but at this angle…

"Forte- No!" Rockman struggled, bringing a hand up and clawing at the Navi above him. He didn't think he could take the other like this. "D-don't…!"

"Shh." Forte shushed him with a kiss. Rockman let out a small whine in response. "I've got you."

Then, he forced himself in to the hilt once more, and Rockman couldn't stop the series of loud cries and sobs that left him.

"N-Aah! S-st-ah…! Ahn…!"

Rockman gasped, his eyes wide as he gasped and sobbed from overstimulation. He attempted to struggle and protest, but each slam against his inner opening sent him reeling, rendering anything he said into incoherent whines and gasps. His orgasm came suddenly, surprising him as he let out a long cry, his entire body shuddering in the aftermath, and the blue Navi couldn't quite remember what had happened after his first climax as the Navi on top of him continued to thrust into him, unrelenting in his motions as he continued to force cry after cry out of the smaller Navi until his body finally gave out.


	93. Chapter 76

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Today was okay. I get to draw two cover arts for Yokai Scandal and work on sketches. Not sure what I'll do tomorrow but hopefully I can get back into drawing and writing.

"Mega."

Wincing, Rockman attempted to swat Forte's hand away as the other nudged him. He could feel his insides still throbbing, and he didn't want to move anything below his waist. "No."

"...I don't want that from you right now." Forte said as he watched the blue Navi still recovering from their connection moments prior. "It's too soon. Maybe after you've recovered."

Rockman blushed and clutched his cloak around him tighter. He shut his eyes as he pulled his hood down lower. "Then whatever it is, it can wait."

Leaning over, Forte wound an arm around Rockman's waist, the blue Navi tensing briefly as he did so. The dark Navi then placed his forehead against the back of the smaller Navi's neck. "While you were in the surface net, an organization called Gospel confronted me."

"..."

The blue Navi was quiet for several more moments, before his eyes flickered open in sudden realization.

"What?!" Rockman sat up instantly, turning to face the other Navi. "What do you mean?"

"I meant exactly what I said." Forte tilted his head as he watched the surprised look of disbelief on Rockman's face. "Whatever you've been doing in the surface net, it seems you've somehow gotten yourself into trouble with another terrorist organization."

Rockman bit his lips. While he had suspected that Gospel might initiate contact with Forte sooner or later as Sean had attempted to recruit the Black Shadow into aiding him to achieve the power of his Style Change his last time around, he still wasn't sure how he felt about this. He knew that Gospel's plan in his previous timeline involved obtaining the power of Style Change because Sean had been especially intrigued by the extent of power the ability had given him, but he wasn't sure how his own involvement in the matters of this timeline might have affected Gospel's plans or goals.

"Forte. What happened? With you and Gospel?" Rockman asked the dark Navi. He had to know. The other Navi appeared to have realized that much, and began recounting the events that had happened in the blue Navi's absence.

* * *

His mate had left their home once more. That wasn't anything new. The blue Navi tended to leave and wander around either within the Undernet or the surface net by himself and, for the most part, Forte had allowed it. But the other had disappeared entirely without telling him where he was headed this time around, leaving Forte clueless of his whereabouts.

The dark Navi frowned. Infuriating little thing- Forte was sure he'd gone over this with the blue Navi before. He didn't mind leaving Mega to his own devices as long as the blue Navi told him where he would be going so the dark Navi at least knew where to begin looking if something where to have happened, and especially after witnessing the other's encounter with WWW, it didn't sit well with Forte that he currently had no idea where Mega was.

That was troubling. He had to remind Mega of this, once he'd found him.

"...Hm?" It was then that the dark Navi noticed the slight change in temperature around him. He turned around to where he had felt the presence come from- It wasn't uncommon that some Navies within the Undernet still seeked him out, despite the many that realized that confrontation with him only meant certain death.

"The Black Shadow, I presume?" It was a Navi made out of ice. "I have a proposition for you."

"I have no interest in hearing any of it." Forte snarled, annoyed and slightly angered. "Get out of my sight, before I delete you."

The Navi, wasn't deterred, but realizing that the dark Navi wouldn't hesitate on tearing him apart, he got to the point instantly. "I can offer you the Blue Myth's power."

Forte raised an eyebrow- The sheer absurdity of the statement had left him speechless for a moment, but the ice Navi had apparently taken it as a hint for him to continue.

"It's no secret that you desire her powers, yet she is ever-elusive and avoids your sight, isn't she?" The Navi expression then changed, a smirk donning his features, as if he had just uncovered some sort of untold truth. "But I know a way to draw her out."

"What do you want?" Forte asked him. He was now both weary and intrigued- While he did knew of such rumours circulating around the Undernet of how the Black Shadow and the Blue Myth could not stand the presence of the other, he still wasn't completely sure how that translated to this Navi seeking him out- He would be less worried had his mate not gotten himself into trouble with large groups of criminals and other dubious figures before, but that obviously wasn't the case, and Forte decided it was better safe than sorry when it came to issues regarding the blue Navi.

"Deleting the Blue Myth serves both of our interests." The Navi merely stated.

"Interesting." Forte decided to probe for more information. "And what makes you think I will do as you say?"

"You aren't. We're merely offering to locate the Blue Myth for you. We'll take care of the rest."

The dark Navi narrowed his eyes. The other Navi was being surprisingly tight-lipped about what he was saying.

"Gospel will contact you once we have secured her whereabouts." The Navi said as the area suddenly began to get misty, most likely from the shards of ice lining down the other Navi's body. "You may very well have your own reserves- But I would like to think that you are interested in my offer, if my still functioning is of any indication." With a grin, the Navi stepped back and faded away into the mist and fog, the obstructing clouds dissipating not a moment later, leaving the dark Navi alone once more.

* * *

Rockman was lying on his back, still clutching his cloak around him as he listened to Forte's entire story.

' _So that's why he was so worried when he found me. He must have thought something might have happened to me after that.'_

"So, when were you planning on telling me you've gotten involved with another terrorist organization again?" Forte gave him a blank look.

The blue Navi blushed, looking away slightly. "Sorry… Everything just happened simultaneously. I didn't mean to forget about it."

"That's the problem, isn't it?" Forte said as he took Rockman's hand, prompting the blue Navi to look at him. "Mega. I don't want you leaving the Undernet. At least until this whole thing with Gospel has been dealt with."

"Wh-what?" Forte had never made any demands like that before, and it startled him. "I- I didn't mean to keep what was happening from you! I promise!"

"That's not what I'm concerned about." Forte met his gaze. "I know you'd never intentionally hide things from me. What I'm worried about is you putting yourself in danger while dealing with Gospel."

"But- but I can't just let them do as they please!" The blue Navi argued. "You saw what happened while we were in the Internet City, right? That was Gospel's doing- I don't know what else they'll do if no one stops them!"

"There's the other thing I'm worried about." Forte's tone grew stern at that. "Mega. What do you think Gospel was referring to when they say they have a way to draw you out from hiding?"

"That's…" Rockman paused, frowning in thought. He really had no idea. "... I don't know."

"Who have you been protecting whenever they're in danger?" Forte continued, attempting to nudge him towards the correct conclusion.

"Who…?" It took Rockman a moment, before the answer finally clicked in his mind. "...No. It can't be."

"Yes, it is." Forte told him, squeezing his hand. "Did you think that no one would notice? You can't keep on rushing out to protect those two Hikari twins whenever they're in trouble, Mega. You're only confirming and encouraging anyone who wants to get to you that the most effective way to do so is to put the two of them in danger." When Rockman didn't reply, Forte continued, but in a gentler tone. "...I know it's difficult for you. But you can't keep on doing this. You've protected them for long enough. You have to let them fight their own battles now."

Rockman looked away quietly. He hated what Forte had told him, but he knew it was true. He understood Forte's logic clearly- If he kept on jumping to Netto and Hub's aid, he'll unknowingly or unwilling put them in danger, especially since it didn't appear that Gospel had any qualms about targeting children.

"...Okay." Rockman spoke, finally. "I don't like it… But you're right." looking back up slightly, the blue Navi met Forte's gaze. "I… I'll refrain from going to their aid myself… But there must be some other way that I can help them…!"

"I don't suppose that will be a problem for you." Now that the important matter of discussion was over with, Forte appeared to be a lot more relaxed. "Considering Shadowman isn't your only subservient anymore."

"...!"


	94. Chapter 77 (Yumland in trouble)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: As of yet, I still have three cover arts to finished for the main story for Yokai Scandal. After that, I can focus on the extras, which I plan on having around 3 extra chapters with characters that were originally also going to be included in the story but didn't quite make the cut, and maybe some porn. After that, it's all about printing and stapling them altogether myself. My tumblr account for this fic is "sfwlgotn" once again, for people wondering- I frequently post art and progress on other things on there.

The group of Navies were rather intrigued by the form of the Mettaur huddling behind X's leg as they all gathered around the blue Navi to get a glism of the virus besides him.

"Absolutely incredible." Glide murmured to himself. "I've never seen any virus act so tame before, much less an Undernet virus."

"I guess it's kind of cute... When it's not attacking anyone…" Being the smallest Navi among the group, Iceman was still slightly unnerved by the Mettaur, but he was still unwillingly interested by the Undernet virus that Rockman X had somehow managed to befriend.

"This is amazing, X!" Roll appeared to be completely drawn to the Mettaur at this point. "How did you manage to do it?"

"Well…" X was unsure of how to answer. He knew that the Mettaur- He believed it was called Beep- belonged to Mega, but he didn't want to cause his friends unnecessary worry by revealing the Mettaur's connection to her. Even months after the whole incident with WWW, rumours about Mega's ability to attract disasters were still prominent among many surface Navies, though X supposed he really shouldn't be too surprised by that, considering the scale of the disasters that tended to happen whenever the Blue Myth did appear in the surface net- It was a series of unfortunate coincidences.

"I… I don't really know. It was already like this, when I met it in the Undernet."

"Guts… Tame or not, virus is still a virus, guts." Gutsman, the brute of the group, didn't seem to care much for the virus' calm behavior.

"That might be." Glide shrugged. "But just think of all the possibilities that can be achieved if we could tame viruses on a massive level- While most NetNavies and Programmes are only limited to the paths of data constructed to navigate the net, most viruses don't have this limitation, and some are even specialized to traverse areas of the net that NetNavies and Programmes could not. With tamed viruses, navigating the net would be a much quicker and instantaneous task, even more so than it already is. In fact, we can even explore more dangerous areas of the net much safer with tame viruses as guides, like the Undernet, perhaps."

"G-guts…?" Gutsman was completely lost at this point, but X couldn't help but notice that Glide had basically just described what had happened while he and Zero were looking for the shrine within the Undernet. That had definitely made the two's journey in the Undernet much easier- In fact, if the Mettaur hadn't helped them out like it had, they might not have been able to find the place they were looking for in the first place.

Speaking of which…

"Zero?" X called out as he turned to the red Navi who had remained strangely quiet during the group's conversation. "Are you alright?"

"...Oh?" Zero was snapped out of his musing, obviously surprised. "Yes, I'm fine."

X didn't reply immediately, frowning internally- Despite what the red Navi was saying, X knew that he was still very much affected by what had happened in the Internet City. He knew the other Navi well enough to realize that Zero was still very much guilty of himself losing control and wreaking havoc on the city like he had, and while Mega did attempt to offer the two of them advice on how to control their Style Changes, it was clear that Zero was still very much troubled on how to put said advice into action.

Then, there was the entire thing with Gospel…

If he remembered correctly, then Gospel, for some reason, had wanted the two of them gone, if Swallowman's words are to be believed. X didn't have a slightest hint as to why, but considering that the caliber of Gospel NetNavies have be growing in strength, and that the two of them still weren't sure when they would send the Undernet mercenary after them once again…

They needed to master their Style Changes, as quick. There was no question about it.

"Huh?" X was brought out of his own thoughts when Roll suddenly noticed something. Pointing at the area above them, she continued. "Hey, do you all see that?"

"It looks like some sort of balloon…?" Iceman was confused by the object's appearance as well.

As the balloon floated closer and closer towards the group, X reached one hand up when it sank low enough, grabbing the balloon by the thread attached to it and pulling it down. "That's strange… I wonder who this belongs to?"

"X, look." The entire scene had gotten Zero's attention as well. "There seems to be a data file attached to the string."

"Hey- You're right." Attached to the end of the thread was a small piece of data for a video file. "Here- I'll play it."

With a small beep, the video feed sprang to life, showing the image of a Normal Navi. However, as he began to speak, the group were quickly confused and baffled by the sounds coming out of his mouth.

"Wh...What is this language? I do not recognize it…" Glide was completely lost.

"I don't know… But he sounds frantic…" X only had the tone of the Navi's voice to go by. Then, as the video ended, the piece of data began to glow suddenly.

"Guts?!" Gutsman was alarmed by the turn of events. "Wh-what't this?"

In a flash, the data had opened up wrap portal, quickly pulling the closest Navies into it in an instance, which happened to be X and Zero. Seeing that something had gone wrong, Beep immediately leapt after the two Navis, and was swept up into the portal as well. Before any of the other NetNavies could do anything, the wrap portal quickly faded, leaving behind only a piece of thread.

* * *

X and Zero screamed as the two of them were flung through the cyberworld, before the two of them came to the end of the wrap portal and landed on the ground in a pile, Beep falling through the portal and onto the two of them not a moment later.

"Ow…" X groaned as he scrambled to his feet. "Where… Where are we?"

"I'm not sure…" As Zero got to his feet as well, he immediately attempted to contact his operator through his PET. "Hub-san, are you there?"

It took several moments, but there was a reply, and the holographic images of Hub and Netto appeared before the two of them. "Zero! X! Where are you two? What happened?" Hub asked the two, the worry obvious in his voice.

"I'm not sure myself…" Zero frowned. "We were in the common net just moments ago, when a balloon carrying some sort of data landed where we were and created a wrap portal. X and I got sucked into the portal, and we ended up here."

"Sheesh… Is this some sort of prank that someone's playing?" Netto pondered, slightly annoyed. "X, do you think you can plug out from there?"

"I can try- Huh?" X was cut off as Beep began nudging his ankle, chirping furiously.

"Mettaur! Mettaur!"

"What is it, Beep?" As X reached down to pet the virus, the Mettaur turned and ran. "H-hey! Where're you going?"

X watched the Mettaur continue down a path as he ran after the virus, before it gradually slowed down and stopped next to a fallen NetNavi lying still on the floor.

"X… Isn't that the NetNavi from the video?" Zero had caught up to the two of them at this point as well.

The blue Navi blinked, regarding the unconscious NetNavi closely. "I think you're right…" Then, he placed a hand on the Navi's shoulder and shook him gently. "Hey, are you alright? Wake up!"

" _..."_  The Normal Navi mumbled something, before his eyes flickered open. Then, upon seeing the two red and blue Navies before him, the Navi seemed to snap to full alertness.

" _...!"_


	95. Chapter 78

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So… currently, I'm torn between two other AUs I can do for the future… One of them is basically a reverse AU of the canonical story of RockmanEXE, and the other is a reverse AU of Yokai Scandal… I'm still going to hold off doing either one of these two until I've finished several other things I wanted to do with this fic first, but if you guys have anything you want to see, feel free to comment or leave a review.

Upon hearing the Normal Navi speak, Zero frowned. "It's no good. I still can't understand him."

"I think he might be speaking in a different language…" Hub pondered out loud, fidgeting around with his PET. "Hold on, I'm installing a translator. Tell me if you can understand him."

" _...!_  ...you two! You're X and Zero, right?!" The Navi was shaking Zero by his shoulders at this point.

"Huh?" The red Navi was now confused for an entirely different reason. "Wait, how did you know who we were?"

The Normal Navi ignored Zero's question entirely. "And you two were the ones who defeated WWW, right?"

"W-well, technically, I guess? Bu-"

"Oh, thank god!" The Navi grabbed both of Zero's hands. "Please- You have to help me!"

"H-hey! Calm down!" X attempted to pull the Navi off of his friend. "Look, we're pretty confused ourselves- We just got teleported by some wrap portal to here. Can you tell us where we are?"

"Ah, so you must have gotten the message I sent!" The Navi seemed ecstatic.

"That balloon was yours?" The blue Navi was astonished.

"Oh, yes!" The Normal Navi nodded frantically. "I had hoped it would land somewhere in DenCity!"

"Yeah, alright." Zero sighed. At least that part of the mystery was cleared. "But why attach a wrap portal to it and send us here?"

"B-because… Because!" The Normal Navi's mood had done a complete one-eighty once more. "Someone's wrecking havoc through Yumland's cyberworld!"

"Yumland…?" X and Zero's gaze met for a brief moment. At least they knew where they were, but the both of them appeared to have silently agreed on how the balloon had managed to reach them in the first place was another mystery in on itself, considering how far away Yumland as a country was from DenCity.

"What happened?" X asked, wanting to get a more clear grasp of the situation before jumping into things. "Is it bad?"

"It's terrible- Just terrible!" The Navi clutched his head as he shook. "And it happened so suddenly, too! Everything was fine one moment, then in the very next moment, paper dolls leapt out from everywhere and started attacking everyone in sight!"

X and Zero looked at each other once more, both unsure of how to reply. "I'm sorry… But did you say 'paper dolls'...?"

"Yes! There were hundreds- Probably thousands, everywhere! I only just managed to escape to this part of the net, but in the central area of the net, they're still causing mayhem!" The Normal Navi clasped his hands together. "Please- You have to help them!"

"..."

"Nii-san…?" Having heard the entire thing, Netto turned to his elder sibling. "What should we do…?"

"I…" Hub didn't think there was such a thing as paper dolls attacking people, but the Navi looked so distressed… "I guess, we can check it out, I suppose…"

"Oh! Thankyou!" The relief was obvious in the Normal Navi's voice. "The common net is that way- Be careful! Those paper dolls are vicious and will tear you to pieces… literally!"

* * *

The central net for Yumland's cyberworld was completely devoid of signs of activity as X and Zero arrived on the scene.

"Urgh, so that Navi was really lying after all…" Netto grumbled. "Damn it. He'd duped us."

"..." Hub didn't appear as certain as his younger sibling. "...Netto, don't you notice something wrong?"

"What's wrong?" The younger Hikari asked, confused. "It looks like it's just some abandoned place in the net…"

"That's the point." Hub explained. "That Normal Navi told us that this was supposed to be the central area of Yumland's cyberworld, but if that's true, then…"

"Hey- You're right!" Netto blinked, realizing was Hub was implying suddenly. "Where's everyone?"

" _Mettaaaaaaur!_ "

"Huh?" Turning to where the frantic cry had come from, X saw Beep running down on of the split roads in a desperate attempt to escape from the two dark forms that were chasing it. "Beep!"

"X, watch out!"

Just as X was about to give chase, Zero grabbed his companion by his wrist and yanked him back, the two Navies narrowly avoiding a barrage of fireballs sent their way. X reeled back in shock. "That was close! But who…?"

Then, several more of the dark forms that had chased Beep away appeared in front of the two Navies, but upon closer inspection, X and Zero could see that these were Spikey Viruses, made out of...

"What?!" X couldn't believe his eyes. "They're cut-out paper figures of viruses- They're really paper dolls!"

"That Navi wasn't lying after all?!" Zero was just as shocked.

As the paper-made Spikey Viruses snarled, they leapt at the two Navies all at once, their jaws wide open, barking and snapping.

"And they attack just like the actual viruses themselves, too!" Summoning his buster, X took aim at the paper Spikeys, a charged shot enough to tear their paper bodies apart, the remnants floating to the ground harmlessly, as if they've always been inanimate sheets of paper.

"They don't seem any stronger than their virus counterparts- They're made out of paper, after all…" Zero mused. "So how is that they've managed to drive everyone out of the common net…?"

Then, a series of shrieks, cries, snarls and chattering were heard all around them. Alarmed, X and Zero looked up only to realize in horror that they were now surrounded by hordes and hordes of viruses- some of them were common viruses like Mettaurs and Fishy viruses, but others were the more dangerous kinds, the larger Lavagons and Megalian viruses looming dangerously over their heads, but the one things that they all had in common was that they were all made out of paper.

"Z-Zero…?" X had his buster raised and charged, ready to fire, but there was obvious doubt in his movements, and Zero seemed to echo his sentiment completely.

Even if these viruses were all made out of paper, there were just too many of them for the two Navies to defeat. If they were to face all of these viruses head on, the two Navies would be completely exhausted long before they could even thin out their numbers- The only way to come of out this was for the two of them to locate the source of these paper viruses, and defeat the person who was creating them.

His mind make up, Zero summoned his sword and created a slash of energy with a swing of his sword, the wave catching some of the paper viruses by surprise and ripping them to pieces. Then, before the rest of the viruses could catch on to what he was doing, he turned to where he had made an opening among the gigantic horde of viruses and yelled.

" _Run!_ "


	96. Chapter 79

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I was gonna make a bad pun in the beginning here but I'd probably lose all my viewers so eh.
> 
> A/N2: Damn I wasted 1 hour watching Darkest Dungeon memes.

"Damn it! They just keep on coming!" X yelled as he fired another charged shot at the oncoming viruses, tearing several of them to pieces, but those were quickly replaced by another swarm of paper cut-out viruses.

"It's just like back at Okuden Dam, but I don't think there's going to be conveniently placed bombs for us to find anymore…!" Zero couldn't help but laugh breathlessly at the absurdity as the two Navies ran down the pathways whilst being chased by yet another horde of viruses.

"It's just, bizarre!" X couldn't help but say. "I mean, I understand actual viruses chasing down and attacking NetNavies- But viruses made out of paper? Really?" Swinging around, the blue Navi landed yet another series of shots on the incoming paper Fishys. "How is this even possible? Can paper actually be made to function like actual viruses?"

"...!" X's words seemed to have given Zero an idea. As the two Navies neared a corner down the path, he grabbed X's wrist and pulled him to the side. "This way!"

With a yelp, the two Navies stumbled into the narrow passageway, X scrambling to his feet instantly. "Zero- Why'd you do that!" He hissed. "We can't run in here! Those viruses are going to catch up to us-"

"Wait." Zero pointed to where they had come from behind his companion. "X, look."

Baffed and concerned, X turned his head to where Zero was pointing at, and was surprised by the sight of the paper viruses just passing by the passageway without even giving the two NetNavies a single glance. "They- They're leaving…?"

"You were right, X." Zero explained as he quickly realized what was happening."Those paper viruses may act like ordinary viruses, but they don't function like one- Once we're gone from their vision, they can't find us anymore." At this, he turned to X. "X, do you know what this means?"

"Ah!" X nodded. "You mean there's someone actually controlling these paper viruses, and when we came in here, whoever's controlling them couldn't see us anymore- That's why those paper viruses couldn't, either!"

"Right." As the last of the paper viruses had passed them, Zero carefully poked his head out from the passage way and assessed the situation. "Which means, whoever's controlling these paper viruses must have some high vantage point, or at least, some way to see large portions of this area at the same time to be able to control that horde of viruses to attack NetNavies within this area."

"That makes sense…" X pondered out loud as he joined Zero. "But… I don't see any particularly high structures anywhere…"

"Well… Most central areas tend to have an admin panel that helps survey and maintain order in case something happened in an area with such dense activity…" Zero frowned as he thought out loud.

"So that's where the culprit is most likely to be." X caught on quickly.

Nodding, Zero turned to his companion. "Can you find where the admin panel might be?"

"I'm scanning the area…" X paused briefly, before his scanners appeared to have picked up something and he continued. "It's not far from here- We should be able to find it quickly. But we'll have to stay hidden, or whoever's controlling the paper viruses will send them after us again."

"Alright then. " Zero gave X a small smile. "Lead the way. I'll follow closely behind."

The two Navies quickly and discreetly navigated their way through the pathways within the network, dodging out of the way of any wandering viruses, knowing that confronting the paper viruses were likely to attract the attention of whoever was controlling them, before the two finally arrived at their destination.

"That's weird…" As the two Navies drew near to the admin panel, Netto appeared to have noticed that something was up. "There's no security here- I thought admin panels had some sort of security blocks or programmes to stop people from just going in there…"

"I guess whoever's in there didn't care for being discreet and just broke in…" Hub reasoned. Then, he addressed the two Navies. "Zero, X, be careful in there."

Giving a sharp nod, Zero summoned his sword and stepped inside. "Who's there? Show yourself!"

"Uwha?!" The figure inside clearly hadn't been expecting anyone. "You- I've cleared this part of the net of NetNavies- I'm sure!"

"So, you're really responsible for all of those paper viruses." Forming his hand into a buster, X took aim at the figure before them as well. "Stop the attack right now!"

"Eh? No can do, I'm afraid!" The NetNavi sighed and shook his head. "Gospel has order me to seize control of this area, and that's what I'm going to do!"

"Figures Gospel would be behind another large-scale attack like this." Zero frowned, preparing for battle. "Then I guess the only way to stop you is to defeat you!"

"Heh, you think it'll be easy to defeat me, Cutman?" Summoning two circular pair of twin blades in both his hands, the Navi named Cutman attacked. "Rolling Cutter!"

"X, watch out!" Slotting in a Battle Chip for Barrier, Netto narrowly managed to prevent his Navi from being stabbed by the sharp edge of the blades, the first of the rolling cutters bouncing off the barrier harmlessly, before X aimed his buster at the second one and blew it to pieces with a well-aimed shot. "Alright! We got it!"

Seeing his opportunity, Zero leapt forward, slashing his sword at Cutman, the Gospel Navi just barely managing to dodge the brunt of his attack, clutching his head in shock as he ducked under Zero's blade. "Ack!"

"Had enough?" Zero kept up on the offensive, making sure Cutman didn't have a chance to retaliate, but there was a sinking worry at the back of his mind that something was up- Cutman wasn't putting as much of a fight as the other Gospel Navies had.

"Oof!" With a final swing of his sword, Zero had managed to knock Cutman back, the Navi collapsing onto the ground. "Ow…"

"Stop the attack on Yumland's common net, right now!" Zero demanded once more.

"I won't!" Standing back up, Cutman took out a folded piece of black paper from seemingly nowhere. "You think I'll just let you push me around like that? Guess again!"

With a flick of his hand, Cutman tossed the folded paper into the air. Summoning another rolling cutter, the Gospel Navie made several quick slashes across the piece of paper, before letting it fall onto the ground with a soft thump, both X and Zero staring in confusion in what had just happened.

"What…?"

"Wait for it…" Cutman grinned. Then, as if on cue, the piece of paper began to unfold, its shape growing larger and larger the more it unfolded. Alarmed, the two red and blue Navies stepped back at the piece of paper continued to grow, whilst beginning to take on some meticulous shape, becoming a giante form looming over all three of the Navies on the admin panel. When its transformation was complete, the paper-made monster stomped one of its legs onto the ground, a soft tremble resulting as it raised its head and roared.

"It- It's a paper dragon?!" X exclaimed in shock at the long form of the paper dragon flicking its tail.

Without giving X or Zero a chance to recover, Cutman quickly pointed at the two of them while addressing the paper dragon. "Get them!"

Snapping its head towards the two Navies, the dragon let out an ear-piercing screech, before it leapt.

* * *

"Mettaur!"

Running down the pathway, the Mettaur looked behind it, only to realize that it was still very much being chased by the dark figures of two paper-made Spikeys as they snarled, their jaws snapping and growling menacingly as they drew closer, the Mettaur couldn't possibly outrun these paper viruses that were such swifter and nimbler than it was. Then, with a growl, the two paper Spikeys lunged at the Mettaur, Beep letting out a terrified squeak before collapsing onto the floor and retreating into his helmet on instinct.

"Fire Blast!"

Two balls of fire were flung towards the paper viruses, burning them into a crisp in an instant. Timidly, Beep peeked out from under his helmet, only standing up to its full height once it realized that the threat was indeed gone. "Mettaur."

"There you are." With a humph, the newcomer stepped towards the Mettaur. "You're safe now. Come with me."

Beep blinked at the NetNavi, before it shook its head the best it could, chirping in protest. "Mettaur!"

"Hm?" The Navi seemed baffled. "What do you mean you aren't coming?"

"Mettaur!" With a swing of its pickaxe, Beep pointed it to where it had last seen X and Zero, the newcomer was baffled for a moment, before coming to a realization of sorts.


	97. Chapter 80

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Monstrous size has no intrinsic merit, unless inordinate exsanguination be considered a virtue. I have no idea what that means, but I think it's a sick burn of some sort, so there.

The scene was almost comedic, with X and Zero screaming as they were chased down the paths of Yumland's central net, a gigantic dragon made of paper roaring after them. The two had came to the conclusion that this was the best course of action after they discovered that their attacks had no effect on the paper dragon- It's montourus size somehow rendered their efforts useless..

"You can't run forever!" From the top of the dragon's head, Cutman laughed. "You're finished!"

"That thing's gaining on us!" Daring a glance behind him, X was shocked by how quickly the paper dragon was catching up to them, it's size having no apparent effect on its speed.

With a sudden burst of speed, the paper dragon flew over them, landing with a loud rumble and quake, blocking off the two Navies' path. Then, the dragon roared and flicked its tail, the shockwave resulting flung the two Navies off of their feet.

"X!" The desperate situation had undoubtedly made Netto frantic. "Are you alright?!"

"I'm fine…" The blue Navi didn't dare to keep his eyes off the paper dragon and the Navi control it as he stood back up. "But we need to find some way to defeat it, quick. All of my buster shots didn't work on it…"

"And its body moves too fast for me to be able to cut it with my sword…" Zero added, frowning in thought. Before the two could come up with any plan, however, the dragon lunged again. Raising one of its huge claws, the paper dragon brought it down swiftly, knocking Zero away. X hadn't been quick enough to dodge out of the oncoming attack, and yelled as he ended up being trapped underneath the dragon's claws.

"Ugh!" Instinctively, the blue Navi attempted to push the force that was crushing him back, but the dragon's claws wouldn't even budge an inch. "How can paper be this heavy?!"

"Hang in there!" Seeing his opportunity, Zero summoned his sword and attempting to slash at one of the dragon's legs, knowing that it would be immobile if it intended to pin the other Navi down, his attack did cut through the dragon's leg like paper, but the cut was so small in comparison to the paper dragon's form it appeared to have just brushed his attack off entirely, focusing its attention on the Navi that it had trapped.

"The both of you have yammered on long enough!" Cutman smirked, looking down on the two Navies with glee. "Now it's time to meet your doom!"

With a fierce snarl, the paper dragon opened its jaw and dove at X, the Navi only able to watch in horror as the beasts sharp teeth rapidly approached him with the intend to tear him apart.

"X!" Netto screamed again. "Get out of there!"

"I  _can't!_ " The weight on top of him was crushing, there was no escape for him as the maw of the paper dragon descended upon him.  _'No! I don't want to be ended- Not like this!'_

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, the Navi felt a growing heat spreading from his Navi emblem, before a bright light shone through and encased him in it. Confused and alarmed, Cutman's eyes went wide. "Wh-what?! What's this ball of light about-"

The Gospel Navi cried, holding onto the horns of the paper dragon as a sudden blow had knocked the dragon's entire head reeling, the huge beast recoiling several steps to steady itself. "Gah! Wh-what's this? What did you do?!"

Zero, however, had a sneaking suspicion as to what had happened. He cautiously but hastily approached the location where he'd saw X being engulfed in that ball of light. "X- Are you alright?"

As the light faded, Zero couldn't quiet stop the dread and worry growing inside of him as he saw that X's form had now changed; The Navi's green eyes now glowed with an unnatural hue, and his normally blue tone was now several shades lighter. With another glance, the red Navi could see what had caused the dragon to recoil as it did; One of X's hand had transformed into a cannon of sorts, one that Zero didn't think he'd ever seen before.

"X…?" If the other Navi's retelling of what happened to him while he had Style Changed was to any extent true, Zero didn't know if his companion was even aware enough to notice him. "X- Can you hear me?"

To his surprise, X gasped in shock, a flicker of realization crossing his eyes, before the form of his Ultimate Style faded away as quickly as it had triggered. "H-huh…? Did I just…?"

Zero sighed, but his relief was short lived. With a stomp, the paper dragon shook the ground as it roared once more.

"Pah, I don't know what just happened, but…" Steering the paper dragon by its horns, Cutman appeared to have regained himself. "This time, I won't miss!"

As the dragon lunged towards them once more, X and Zero winced, fully expecting to be impaled on the dragon's teeth and fully bracing for impact-

"Flame Tower!"

From in front of them, a pillar of fire erupted, surprising the two Navies as they took a step back from the shearing heat of the flame. Ignoring the threat, the dragon rammed its head directly into the tower of flame, but instead of destroying it, the paper dragon instead caught itself on fire, the flames eating away at the material which made up its body, turning it to ash and cinder as the beast cried and yelled. Then, once the fire had eaten up so much of the paper that its form could no longer sustain, the dragon collapsed, fading away entirely into dust and soot. The Navi that had been perched atop of its head fell onto the floor.

"Arghh!" Frustrated, the Gospel Navi couldn't help but yell out as he picked himself up from the ground. "Who is it? What is it this time?!"

X and Zero looked towards where the attack had come from as well, but the sight of their unlikely savior had startled the both of them.

" _Fireman?_ " X gasped. He couldn't quite stop himself.

Cutman, however, didn't appear to share the same realization. "Three on one? You're just ganging up on me now!" The Gospel Navi grumbled. "Fine! You win this time! But don't think you'll be getting away that easily the next time we meet!" Then, Cutman quickly logged out of the area, leaving the two red and blue Navies behind with the WWW Navi.

"So, the two of you are here, after all." Fireman said as he raised one of his arm cannons, and both X and Zero were fully expecting the fire Navi to fire some sort of fire blast at the two of them as Fireman pointed the cannon at them, but…

"Mettaur!"

"Beep?" As the small form of the Mettaur ran towards them, X was further surprised but relieved to see that the virus was unharmed. "You're alright!"

"It seems the virus has indeed taken a liking towards you." Fireman stated as he observed the scene.

"What's your deal?" Zero was still very much unnerved by the sudden appearance of the WWW Navi. He never though they would encounter any WWW Navies after that organization had been brought down.

"I've merely come what I intended to do." Fireman told them. With that, the fire Navi had logged out of the common net as well, leaving X and Zero alone with their growing concerns and confusion as to what had just occurred.


	98. Chapter 81

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Forgot to ask this in the previous chapters when it's more applicable, but is anyone bothered on how I spell the word "colour"? I tend to get flack when I use the metric system online, and not sure if it's the same with spelling.

Rockman was getting rather restless. As he had promised, the blue Navi hadn't left the Undernet since his conversation with Forte, but the inability to do anything about Gospel's plans in the surface net had made him nervous. Still, he wasn't just going to ignore the dark Navi's words and sneak out to the surface net- That would be disingenuous of him, especially considering the other Navi had merely been concerned for him. Rockman knew that he was going to stay in the Undernet for now, but he was going to have to talk to Forte about re-entering the surface net when Gospel launches their final attack, especially if what they were planning was anything like the last time…

...Well, it wasn't all bad. At least the blue Navi was able to spend more time with Forte when the other wasn't on high alert and looking out for the Navi who Rockman believed to be Freezeman going off of Forte's description of him, and Scuttlest seemed ecstatic that Rockman wasn't going on his long trips to the surface net anymore- The virus didn't appear to like Shadowman nearly as much as it liked Rockman.

Speaking of which...

"Scuttlest? Where'd you go?" Rockman called out as he wandered through the area near his home. He'd let the virus out some time ago and still hadn't been able to locate it once it had slipped out of his sight. The blue Navi found himself worried whenever the miniature Dream Virus was left unattended, but not for the reason of fearing that the virus would get itself into more trouble than it could handle when it had been smaller, but that it might begin to actively stir up trouble with other viruses now that Scuttlest had grown in size and strength- The change had been rather gradual, and Rockman didn't even realize the fact until he found himself unable to lift the virus. He remembered Scuttlest being particularly devastated by it, but that didn't stop the virus from consuming every piece of data it managed to dig up.

Sighing, the blue Navi shook his head.  _'I never realized viruses would be so troublesome…'_

A loud scream snapped him out of his thoughts. Heading to the source of the commotion quickly, Rockman instantly spotted the now labrador-sized virus snapping its pincers at the two rather familiar NetNavies, one of them raising his buster and aiming it at Scuttlest. Rockman jumped in immediately before the situation could escalate. "Wait! Don't shoot him!"

"M-Mega?!" Still keeping his buster aimed at Scuttlest, X gasped. "Get back- That virus is dangerous!"

"He's not dangerous at all!" Seeing the obvious look of disbelief on both X and Zero's face, Rockman raised a hand at the virus while glaring at it. Scuttlest, perhaps realizing the severity of the situation but most likely just content now that the blue Navi was here, slumped down onto the ground, making a content purring noise as Rockman placed his hand on its head. Beep had appeared from behind X and Zero at this point, making happy chirping sounds as it leaned against Rockman's leg.

"...What actually is happening right now…?" Faintly, Rockman could hear Zero whisper to X.

Turning back to the two Navies, Rockman offered them a small smile. "His name is Scuttlest. You've met him before in the Internet City, X."

"I have…?" X appeared confused, pondering over it for a moment, before it clicked. "But- He was so tiny! They can't seriously be the same virus, can they?"

"He's grown since then." Rockman explained. "Anyways, why are the two of you here? Are Netto-kun and Hub here as well?"

"We're here, too." Two holographic images of the two Hikari twins flickered to life. Netto smiled. "Hey, Mega."

"Hello, Netto-kun." Rockman smiled back. "Why're you guys in the Undernet? ...Not that I would mind a social visit." He quickly added.

"Well… There's something that happened during the time we last met that we'd wanted to ask you about." Hub said. When Rockman gestured for him to continue, the boy began to recount past events. "During that time, Gospel had attacked Yumland… X and Zero were transported their through a wrap portal, and during their attack, Netto and X managed to trigger Ultimate Style Change…"

Rockman looked at the younger Hikari in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah." Netto nodded. "It was really weird, though- It only lasted for a second, before it canceled out entirely."

"Did something happen when you triggered it?" Rockman asked him.

"I remember X being about to be deleted when it happened…" Netto frowned as he attempted to recall the detail of his encounter.

"Did any thought in particular cross your mind when it happened?" Rockman pressed further.

"Uhhh…" Netto fell quiet for a moment. "Well, when I saw that dragon leap towards X, all I could think of was that I had to do something. I couldn't let it end just like that. There had to be something I could do."

Rockman realized what had happened when he saw the surprised look on X's face. "It seems the two of you shared the same thought at that moment, which was what had triggered Style Change, if only briefly."

"So that's what you meant when you said to be more aware of each other's thoughts?" Hub raised an eyebrow.

"That's right." Rockman nodded. "The more you're aware of your NetNavi's thoughts, and vice versa, the higher your level of synchronization will be. That's what triggers Style Change. Once you've gotten completely accustomed to sharing each other's thoughts during battle, you should be able to control Style Change without any problems."

"I see…" X mulled over this for a second, before he seemed to have recalled something. "Oh! There's something else we wanted to ask you."

"What is it?"

"When we were fighting a Gospel Navi inside Yumland's cyberworld… Fireman showed up." X explained, his tone worried. "Since you had been investigating WWW before the whole thing with Gospel, we were wondering if you might know anything about it?"

Rockman blinked. Well, it was going to get out eventually.

"...I do know something about that, yes." Rockman said, abbit slightly worried. "But… Don't hate me for this, okay?"

When neither of the Navies nor Operators said anything, Rockman continued. "It happened quite a while ago, but Shadowman told me found some abandoned NetNavies inside the Undernet. I didn't know who those Navies might be, but when Shadowman took me to where he'd find them- It was the WWW NetNavies."

Zero was visibly startled. "I thought they'd all been deleted when WWW was destroyed."

"Some of them, yes." Rockman frowned. "But not all of them. Apparently, after WWW was disbanded, those WWW operators abandoned their NetNavies inside the Undernet."

"That's horrible!" Netto didn't seem to care about the fact that they were former WWW NetNavies.

"It is, but that's not the worst part." Rockman paused, still slightly unnerved by the experience. "When I found them… They didn't seem to have any recollection of being part of WWW in the first place. Their operators must have deleted their memories from their keydata as some sort of failsafe before leaving them in the Undernet- They had no idea what had happened, or how they ended up in the Undernet."

Both the Hikari twins had gone completely silent, and Rockman couldn't say he blamed them. The realization hadn't been exactly pleasant for him as well.

"That's why… I offered to help them start new lives in the surface net." Rockman told them. "...I knew they were WWW Navies, and what they'd done… But I couldn't just leave them there, especially when they don't even remember why they were in the Undernet in the first place. It wasn't their fault that they didn't have good operators." At this, Rockman tilted his head slightly. "I did ask them for a favor, when I helped them, though I had also made it perfectly clear that they could refuse it if they wanted." The blue Navi allowed himself a soft smile at this. "...It's a surprise to me, too, hearing that Fireman helped you out while you were fighting Gospel."

"...I see." Hub appeared to consider something. "It's not just Fireman though, is it?"

"Hm." Rockman grinned at the two. "Perhaps you'll meet the others in the future, too."


	99. Chapter 82 (H)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Enjoy these Forte/Rockman moments while you can when the plot is still relatively tame. The manga contains some really fucked up shit that I want to include in this fic.

Rockman didn't realize that Forte had returned until the other Navi had placed a hand on his shoulder.

"What is it?" Forte asked him. "You're troubled."

The blue Navi looked up, slightly startled, before he suddenly remembered that Forte could read his emotions regardless if whether they were positive or not. "It's… It's…" He looked away, embarrassed by how he was fumbling over his words. "Sorry. It's a bit hard to talk about…"

"It's alright." Forte didn't push him. "Take your time."

"...Just now, I met Netto-kun and Hub in the Undernet." Rockman decided that that was the best place to start. "It, It wasn't anything too serious, but as we talked, I learnt that he and his NetNavi… They'd entered Perfect Synchro. Even if it was just for a moment."

"Is that what was troubling you?" Forte asked him.

"It- I-" Rockman was hesitant to say yes. "I… I don't know. I knew they were going to achieve it, sooner or later." The blue Navi paused, swallowing as he wondered how best to convey what he'd felt during the encounter. "But when I heard that they did… I thought I would have been happy for them. But when I heard it... I just felt...sad."

When the dark Navi only regarded him silently, Rockman began to panic. "I mean- It's not like I was hoping that they wouldn't master Perfect Synchro! I want to help them grow stronger, and I still stand by that." At this, Rockman bit his lips, frowning. "But… I don't know why. It's just what I felt."

"Is it because you felt that that should have been you?"

"Wh-what?" Rockman snapped his head back up, staring at Forte with a mixture of shock and disbelief. How did he-

"Did you feel that, if you hadn't gotten separated with your operator, that you could have achieved the same thing with him, too?" Forte clarified, and Rockman blinked, before suddenly realizing that the other Navi was referring to Yuichiro Hikari instead of Netto Hikari.

"...Maybe." Rockman admitted. Back when he had realized that being sent back into the past had been a one way trip, he'd thought he'd already gotten over the fact that Netto would most likely have another NetNavi, and that he would no longer share the same bond that he had with his operator in his original timeline, but actually seeing Netto share that close bond that they used to have with another NetNavi…

It wasn't a very pleasant feeling, to say the least.

"S-sorry. Look at me, getting all emotional, heh." Rockman gave a soft laugh, embarrassed by how long he'd remained silent while Forte regarded him closely. "I know it's not possible for things to go back to the way they were, and I acknowledge that, b-but… I just, can't help but feel sad about it, you know?" Seeing the dubious look on Forte's face, the blue Navi quickly added. "Forte- I don't regret any of my decisions. I knew what the implications where when I made them, and I still fully stand by them. It's just… I don't know…" Rockman shook his head. "...I'm sorry. You must think I'm contradicting myself with all of this."

"No, it's not that." Forte spoke finally, appearing intrigued. "...But you  _are_  rather complicated."

"Huh?" Rockman was curious. "How so?"

"It's true, what you said. I can feel those two conflicting emotions inside of you." Forte tilted his head slightly. "...But somehow, both of them felt genuine. I don't think there's any other Navies that could feel two opposing emotions at once- Perhaps if they were similar enough, but not two that contradicted each other." Forte paused, as if even he had trouble putting it into words. "It's confusing. But intriguing the same time, how you perceive and react to things."

"Oh." Rockman looked away, flustered. "W-well, I hope you don't find me too bothersome to be around."

"It's not. But I find myself constantly surprised by how sophisticated- or unsophisticated- your emotions are, at times."

"Thanks." Rockman grinned. "I… I guess I'm still slightly bothered by it, but I feel a lot better about things now."

"Hm." Forte hummed as he leaned in and took his hand. "Maybe you'd like to feel even better?"

The blue Navi shrunk back. Somewhat annoyed, but mostly embarrassed that Forte had taken their conversation in a completely different direction. "Please don't tell me you told me all of those things just to set this up."

"Baseless accusations." Pulling the smaller Navi in and kissing him, Forte quickly guided Rockman to lay on his back, the blue Navi shivering softly in worry and anticipation as the other tore off his skinsuit and guided both his legs apart. He was caught off guard, however, when he felt Forte slide his fingers into him, instead of what he had been expecting. "Hn, For- Forte…?"

"I've noticed something." Forte murmured as he spread his fingers inside of the blue Navi, drawing out a startled gasp and another soft shiver from the Navi below him. "You always had the same conflicting feelings whenever we do anything of this sort."

"It was apparent that you desired me. You wanted me to force myself deep into you, to pleasure you, yet somehow you'd always refrained some voicing what you truly wanted, either out of shyness or embarrassment." As he spoke, Forte thrusted his fingers upwards at an odd angle, Rockman's body giving a slight twitch in response. "You'd always rely on me taking advantage of you in order to get what you wanted but couldn't quite convey- but this time, I want to hear you actually say it."

"...!"

Rockman's face blushed a bright shade of red instantly, the other's words hitting a bit too close to home. "F-Forte…! I- I can't…!"

"You can." The dark Navi insisted as he continued to tease the smaller Navi with his fingers- He'd been with the other Navi long enough to have remembered where Rockman was most sensitive, and how to render the other Navi quivering in want and desire. "It's not that difficult, Mega. Just tell me what you want, and I'll give it to you."

"Hnnn…! Hnahh…" Rockman couldn't stop the series of cries and whimpers that escaped him as Forte continued to tease his insides with his fingers- The soft touches and caresses felt good, and the blue Navi's body had reacted according, clutching around the others digits as it began to produce a clear fluid from the stimulation, but there was still the growing itch inside of his body that hadn't been quenched. "For-Forte…! Please…!"

"Go on." The dark Navi encouraged him.

"I… It…" Rockman blushed, covering his face with his hands and he shook his head. It was too embarrassing.

"Just say it, Mega." Another inwards push had left the blue Navi's body clenching, still longing for more, and Forte kissed the other Navi softly on his forehead as the blue Navi shook. "Just tell me what you want."

"I-" Rockman's voice faltered briefly, before he continued, abitt shakingly. "I… I want to…" The blue Navi closed his eyes, turning his head away from Forte. He sniffed- He couldn't believe that the other was actually forcing him to say it… "I… I w-want to feel good…  _inside_ …"

"That's it. You're so good to me, Mega." Knowing that that was as far he could push the other Navi without absolutely driving him insane, Forte ran his head down the back of Rockman's head, praising him as he petted the smaller Navi, retracting his fingers slowly. "It's alright- I'll give you what you want, now."

Before Rockman could react, Forte had plunged himself deep inside of the smaller Navi with a quick thrust. Rockman let out a startled cry as his body fell completely limp, save for the harsh quivering as the other began to thrust in and out of him, the blue Navi letting out another series of pleasured cries and sobs as his body finally got what it wanted-

"Forte- Forte…!"

The sounds of moaning and whining continued, until Forte had completely exhausted the smaller Navi below him.


	100. Extra 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm thinking of re-writing one of my older MMBN fanfics after I finished formatting and printing the Yokai Scandal doujinshis. I took several days off of it because there's an event in August that since I'm the person in charge for, I need to attend a bunch of meetings with the school faculties, take whatever we've discussed there to my other club members, draft up their response, and then back to the school faculty again. It shouldn't be long now, though; Most of the cover arts for the main chapters are complete, and I've began working on some of the extra chapters. Hopefully I can get it all done within the month.

The beast was an unruly one, snapping and hissing with its sharp pincers as he approached it. Even when it had been no larger than a common Mettaur, Shadowman knew that the thing had an attitude- one that was slowly but surely growing in proportion to its size.

"Uncontrolled thing." Shadowman narrowed his eyes as Scuttlest snarled, digging its insect-like appendages into the ground. The shadow Navi had faced enough viruses to know that it was taking a posture that allowed it to strike at a moment's notice. "It would do you much good to yield this instant."

A spark of rage flashed across the virus' red eyes, and Shadowman knew that the thing had taken his words as a challenge. With a growl, Scuttlest lunged; its two sets of back legs propelling it forward as its front legs aimed themselves towards where the virus intended to strike, its pincers wide open and waiting to crush anything that would be unfortunate enough to be caught in between them- His Mistress' pet virus was wild, but it was not completely unthinking. Now that it had grown, it realized that its size could be an advantage, and it was attempting to use it to intimidate him.

Perhaps, against a less experienced NetNavi, its plan might have worked. But Shadowman was far from inexperienced.

Sidestepping easily, Shadowman avoided the direct line of Scuttlest's attack long before the virus could actually reach him. The virus saw that its target had moved, but it was too committed to its prior attack that it could not quite stop itself as it stumbled clumsily, hissing in anger and frustration as it scrambled to correct itself. Shadowman allowed it. Now that the virus had grown in strength, it would be much too troublesome for him to subdue the virus forcefully. Not when it was much more manageable and reasonable for him to allow the beast to tire itself out first.

"Your attacks are unorthodox and unfocused. You cannot possibly hope to achieve any sort of result without refinement."

As he had expected, his words had triggered yet another spark of rage within the virus. Shrieking, Scuttlest leapt at him once more, and this time, Shadowman didn't hesitate the toss a smoke bomb directly into the virus' face, startling and confusing the poor thing as the shadow Navi avoided its attack without effort at all.

"Brutal, but thoughtless." Shadowman told it. "In other words, an act completely devoid of merit."

Again and again, Shadowman would taunt the virus, goading it into attacking him whilst avoided each and every one of its attacks with ease, and Scuttles would fall for his bait, attacking  over and over, driven by instinctual rage and blind fury alone, until its legs had finally given out, the virus crumbling onto the ground with a sizable thump. Shadowman could hear the virus wheeze and whine as the form of its body rose and fell.

Walking over to the downed virus, Shadowman grabbed one of the spikes on its back. Now that Scuttlest had exhausted all of its strength, the virus wasn't able to offer up any sort of struggle as Shadowman began to drag it back to where the two had been before Scuttlest had ran off without warning.

"Your strength and will is admirable." Shadowman could at least admire that about it. "But you lack the proper control and finesse to put it to good use."

In response, Scuttlest growled, one of its legs twitching.

This was not an uncommon occurrence. Ever since his mistress had taken this virus as his pet, he would often leave it to the shadow Navi's care whenever he ventured into the surface net, or when he had some sort of errand he wanted to attend to on his own, and Shadowman had quickly learnt the best way in handling this virus- Kindness and generosity rarely worked on it. The virus had to be put into its place before it would yield to any will other than its own.

...Though, perhaps that might not be entirely true. For reasons beyond him, even when his mistress showed the virus nothing but kindness and leniency, Scuttlest was strangely obedient towards him. The virus would sit when his mistress demanded it, heel when his mistress called for it. It was baffling, to say the least. It was as if the virus itself  _wanted_ to do as the blue Navi said.

That was not the only thing he found intriguing, however. As shadowman dragged the virus back to where the two had come from, he found himself mulling over the occurings surrounding that of his mistress. There was so much mystery to his mistress, not only how willingly and easily viruses seemed to bend themselves to his will, and not how his mistress appeared to completely knowledgeable of events of the future that weren't even meant to happen yet. It was the unfamontable display of trust and generosity that his mistress displayed.

It was no secret that the Undernet was no place for such sentiments. They were considered a weakness, and Navies with weaknesses were weeded out rather quickly within the Undernet. That is just the way of the Undernet. But yet, his mistress somehow maintained genuine kindness and concern for all those around him. He knew that his mistress was very much aware of the unspoken rules that governed over all the Navies within the Undernet, and yet, his mistress insisted on being what many in the Undernet would consider to be fool at this point.

' _...But, if he is a fool for holding such values, then does that make me more of a fool to follow him…?'_

Somehow, as that very thought crossed his mind, Shadowman found himself unable to concern himself with how other Undernet Navies may perceive him anymore- If he was a fool to follow his Mistress, then a fool he shall be. The shadow Navi admired the blue Navi for his kind and caring nature, and he was not about to change his own perception on this regard merely on the basis that such values were rare and unheard of.

' _Perhaps even a fool has a fool's luck.'_  Shadowman thought to himself.  _'Yet, I wish that you would be less lenient towards your pet virus, my mistress. I am uncertain if I will be able to keep it under control anymore, if it grows any bigger…'_


	101. Chapter 83 (Mother computer)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Speaking of politics, I was maybe 12 when Obama took office. Since I was watching the whole election play through on TV, my Mom thought that I was interested in politics, and asked me if I knew who China's president was. I didn't know. I was only watching for the memes. She got mad/disappointed and asked if I knew who the previous president before Obama was and got even more upset when I said "George Bush". I only knew it because of the "Bush did 9-11" memes.

"Hey, have you heard?" Maylu had approached the two Hikari twins during recess. "The princess of Creamland has come to visit Electopia!"

"A princess?" Netto looked up from his desk. "There's still places that have princesses? And why would a princess come here?"

"Oh, I think I've heard that rumour circulating around the internet City!" Hub brought a hand up, touching the side of his face. "It's Princess Pride from Creamland, right?"

"Uh-huh!" Maylu nodded, grinning. "I've heard that she's been invited to Electopia, too!"

Netto frowned. "I thought princesses only stayed in castles." He said, softly.

"Netto-kun! That's not true at all!" Maylu gasped. "Don't you know that the royal family of Creamland is very important to their politics?"

"The royal family of Creamland is responsible for passing a lot of their country's laws." Hub explained as he turned to his younger sibling. "They're also responsible for maintaining relations with other countries, and I guess Princess Pride isn't any exception."

"Okay… I guess…" Netto pouted. "But I still don't know what she's doing in Electopia."

"Creamland has a very powerful antivirus programme, and it's kept by the royal family." Maylu tilted her head briefly as she recalled what she had heard about the whole thing. "I think, in response to the growing net crime, and what happened recently in Yumland where their entire central net area had been hacked and taken over, many countries are beginning to tighten security all around the cyberworld." At this, the girl shrugged. "My guess would be that Electopia might want to learn something from Creamland's antivirus programme, to see if they can put it to use to protect their own network, somehow."

"Ehh? You think the princess is going to let them borrow their antivirus programme?" Netto couldn't help but wonder.

"Politics are weird." Hub acknowledged. "Maybe Creamland is getting something in return?"

Class started shortly afterwards. Sometimes during the lesson, Netto nudged his elder sibling who was seated just next to him. "Psst. Nii-san."

"What is it?" Hub whispered back. As much as he didn't want to be distracted from the class, he knew better than to ignore his younger sibling, not after knowing how surprisingly stubborn Netto had been after the first couple of times.

"Why do you think Electopia might have invited Creamland's princess over?" Netto asked him. "What's worth protecting so much that you'd need help from the royalty of another country?"

"Well…" Hub fell quiet for a moment as he considered his younger sibling's question. "I'm not completely sure, but if I had to guess, I would say that it's Electopia's mother computer."

"Mother computer?" The confusion was apparent in the younger Hikari's voice.

"Remember when we fought WWW?" Hub glanced at him. "When that mad scientist was controlling all of the satellites in space to crash into all of the major cities in the world, he was most likely doing so through the mother computer in Scilabs."

"What?" That got Netto's attention, the younger of the two sitting up suddenly. "I didn't know that!"

"Netto?" Their teacher, Mariko-sensei asked them from the front of the classroom. "Is there something you'd like to share with the rest of the class?"

"N-nothing!" The younger Hikari ducked his head immediately, ignoring the slight fits of giggles that sounded throughout the classroom. It was another while later before he spoke again. "Do you think we might be able to see the princess, then?"

"What?" Hub gave him a weird look.

"I mean, if they wanted to take a look at the antivirus programme that the princess has, then she's going have to go over the Scilabs herself, right?" Netto reasoned. "They're not going to just send the programme over through the net if it's that important."

"I don't think it works like that." Hub was a bit more dubious of his younger sibling's explanation. "Not just anyone can see the princess."

"I mean, of course we're not just going to walk up to the princess! She probably has a ton of bodyguards around her, just to protect her." Netto said. "But if the princess is really going to Scilabs, then we might be able to catch a glimpse of her. We can say we're running an errand for dad, and they'll probably let us in."

"Netto-kun." Hub was desperately resisting the urge to sigh. "Please don't tell me you're serious about this."

"Don't you want to see the princess of Creamland?" Netto asked him, grinning, and apparently that was the end of their discussion.

* * *

As soon as school had ended, the two Hikari twins made their way to Scilabs, Hub noticing the surprising lack of people around the building complex as the two neared.

"I don't think the princess is actually here, Netto-kun." Hub said as he looked at his younger sibling. "There aren't any reporters around here. If there was something as important as Creamland's princess arriving at Electopia, don't you think there'd at least be several reporters here?"

"Maybe it's a  _secret meeting_  that no one's supposed to know about?" Netto seemed oddly determined, driven by a strong sense of curiosity. Not wanting to argue with him, Hub entered SciLabs with his twin, but even the corridors and hallways of the building had a disappointingly lack of people if what the two Hikari twins had discussed prior hand had been true.

"Hub? Netto?" After wandering around SciLabs for a while, the two twins had run into the person they were somewhat expecting. "What are you two doing here?"

"Dad!" Netto smiled as he ran up to his father. "We came to see the princess!"

"Ah. Princess Pride from Creamanland?" Yuichiro chuckled briefly at his son's excitement. "I'm sorry, Netto, but the princess left some time ago. She's probably on the plane back to her country now."

"Aww!" Netto pouted, not even bothering to hide his disappointment.

"The princess really was here?" Hub had a hard time believing that his guess had been true. "Did she really let you take a look at Creamland's antivirus programme?"

"It's a programme that's specifically designed to keep viruses out of any important control panels when it's activated during a virus attack while trapping those that had slipped through in an area with relatively low-risk and letting the defense system weed them out." Yuichiro explained, tapping his chin. "While it works well for Creamland, it will still take some time for the programme to be adapted so that we can use it on the mother computer."

"I haven't seen any mother computer all the times we've been in SciLabs before." Netto tilted his head. "Where is it? Do you think we can see it?"

"I'm afraid you can't, Netto." Yuichiro told the boy, smiling softly. "The mother computer is meant to be hidden- It's too important to Electopia's networks for anyone who isn't authorized to access it."

"So it's true that Electopia wants Creamland's antivirus programme for the mother computer." Hub appeared thoughtful. "I know that the mother computer's important to Electopia, but what would happen exactly if it had gotten infected with a virus?"

"Well, in the best case scenario, Electopia's entire network system would fail, meaning that nothing could be done through the cyberworld; Traffic would grind to a halt, and we'd begin seeing power and water outages throughout DenCity and the rest of Electopia as well." He paused slightly, allowing the two boys some time to go through what he had just said before continuing. "If someone were to have hacked the mother computer, however… Then they could do anything as they pleased. They could cause fires over DenCity, affect the nature programme that's controlled by the mother computer so that natural disasters occur constantly, and they could even take over the satellites orbiting around the Earth. It would be a complete disaster."

"Hey! That's what happened with WWW!" Netto gasped at the last example. "No wonder they had invited the princess over!"

Before anyone could get another word in, however, the sounds of an alarm blared to life over the intercom.


	102. Chapter 84

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry for the relatively uneventful chapters in the meantime. I swear it's building up to something. Thanks for sticking with the story up till this point!

"The alarm system's been triggered?" Doctor Hikari was shocked by the sudden turn of events.

"Doctor Hikair!" Another scientist had spotted him from afar and called out towards him. "There's trouble with the mother computer- It's been hacked into! You have to come, quick!"

"What?" Yuichiro yelled back. "But we've just ran systems maintenance! That sort of thing shouldn't be possible!"

"I don't know how it happened, either! But somehow, someone has accessed the mother computer- We need to stop them before anything else happened! Who knows what they'll do?"

"Alright. I'm heading over now." Then, he turned to his two sons. "Hub, Netto, you two stay here."

"What?" Netto was quick to disagree. "But dad! We can help!"

"I'm sorry, but this is too important, Netto." Yuichiro told him. "You two stay out of trouble!" With that, he disappeared down the hallway.

"You heard dad." Hub looked at his younger sibling, hoping to sway him before he could get any ideas. "Come on, let's go."

"No way!" Netto shook his head. "Nii-san, we have to at least do something! What if it's Gospel?"

"Even if it is, what can we do?" Hub frowned. "We don't even know where the mother computer is!"

"But dad does!" Before Hub could stop him, the younger of the two turned and ran down the hallway. "Come on! I think he went this way!"

* * *

The two Hikari twins eventually found themselves in front of a locked door, but Netto didn't appear concerned at all.

"We don't actually have to plug directly into the mother computer itself." He reasoned. "I doubt whoever hacked into the mother computer had direct access to it, either. We can plug in from here and find it through the cyberworld- Maybe we'll even find where the intruder had broken in from!"

"Well…" Hub quickly took out his PET. "Zero, what do you think?"

"...I'm not sure." The red Navi seemed reserved as well. "But it might just work…"

"Don't worry! We've faced WWW before- I'm sure we can take on Gospel!" Taking his own PET out, Netto went over to one of the sockets next to the door. "Plug in-"

"Rockman X!"

"Rockman Zero!"

"Transmission!"

In a flash, X and Zero had logged onto the systems of SciLabs computer, the two letting out a collective gasp at what they saw.

"How…" X was at a loss for words. "This sort of damage…"

"It appears that the defense systems had activated before the intruder could get into the mother computer itself." Zero looked stern. "But instead of finding another way in or leaving, whoever they were, they brute forced their way into the mother computer instead."

That was not an egaggerasion by any means. As the two Navies neared one of the first firewalls that they deduced was used to protect the mother computer from viruses or unauthorized access, they discovered a huge, gaping hole directly in the center of the firewall. "The other parts of the firewall are still holding strong… Whoever made this hole didn't bother to weaken the firewall first. They just broke this part of the wall down directly." Zero realized. "They're a force to be reckoned with… We can't afford to let our guard down."

"Got it." Netto nodded.

"Follow the trail the intruder left behind, for now." Hub said. "If he's still here, maybe the trail could lead us to him."

"Alright." With a huff, Zero leapt through the broken firewall. "Let's go, X."

As the two Navies continued to make their way through the computer systems, they couldn't help but notice the growing destruction and ruin surrounding them; Security blocks were completely smashed to pieces, and any defensive programme inside of the system had been shattered and crushed. There was no doubt in the two Navi's mind that they were dealing with an absolute powerhouse.

"...Huh?" Not long into their task, X stopped abruptly in his tracks, looking worried. "Zero, do you hear that?"

"Hear wha…" Zero trailed off mid-sentence as noticed it, too. It was small and distant, but there was the distinct clicking sounds that were gradually growing louder. The red Navi knew what those sounds meant. "Viruses? In here?"

"They must have gotten in through the broken firewall!" X realized, even if somewhat belatedly. "It can't be a coincidence- There's no way wandering viruses would just happen to invade the mother computer right after the security systems had been all destroyed! Whoever's hacked into the mother computer has to be responsible for this virus attack, too!" The blue Navi reasoned.

"This is bad." Zero frowned. "If the viruses get into the mother computer…" The red Navi tailed off, shivering as he recalled what Yuichiro had said just moment prior. "There's no time to lose. We have to stop whoever's broken into the mother computer!"

"Righ-" Before X could respond, a loud cry above the two Navies interrupted them. Looking up, the two red and blue Navies realized that a Flappy virus was levitating above them, making loud clicking noises, alerting its companions of the two NetNavies, before the virus' form suddenly grew large and taking on a metal sheen. With its now weight-shaped body, the virus was no longer able to maintain its levitation, and came crashing down onto the two NetNavies, X and Zero just barely managing to dodge out of the direct line of the virus' attack to avoid being crushed. The huge weight of the Flappy virus causing the ground to shake as it crumbled onto the floor.

Summoning his sword, Zero swung it at the now grounded virus, cutting it in half and deleting it swiftly. But its cry was already heard by the other viruses, who were already beginning to pour in en mass into the area the two Navies were in. Seeing that their situation had gone from bad to worse in an instant, Zero resisted the urge to curse. "There's no time to dilly-dally with these viruses- We have to get to the mother computer, quick!"

The two Navies turned heel and ran, both attempting to get to the mother computer whilst avoiding the barrage of attacks being rained down upon them from the attacking viruses. The two of them had been close to the final firewall protecting the mother computer, when one of the Flappy viruses had landed a lucky hit, knocking X onto the floor with one of its shockwaves, the blue Navi struggling to get back up.

"X!" Alarmed, Zero immediately went back for his companion, but one of the other viruses had apparently taken this as an opportunity to strike. With a flash, the Flappy virus' body adopted a metallic sheen, before the weight of its body came crashing down onto X, destroying the floor panels underneath the blue Navi entirely, sending both Navi and virus spiraling down into the dark abyss below, Zero unable to do anything but watch on in horror as his friend was sent to his doom.


	103. Chapter 85

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Who else is excited to see Mega slap Forte across his face? Because I kind of am.

Netto was horrified as he saw X fell- The cyberworld was often made up of intricate pathways leading from one place to the next. If a NetNavi were to have fallen from these paths and into the void below, they weren't necessarily deleted, but they would be sent to another part of the net entirely- One that would be extremely difficult if not impossible to track down as where the NetNavi would end up could not be tracked by simply following the normal paths lining the cyberworld. The screen of his PET had turned to static, and in his mind, the younger Hikari already knew that his Navi had been sent so far a distance that he would no longer be able to reach him through his PET.

"...Zero, go back." Hub said. "Maybe X is still-"

"No, there's no time." Netto had cut him off, shaking his head. "The mother computer's main system is just up ahead. Even if X is trapped on one of the lower platforms, there's no time for you or Zero to go back and find him." The younger of the two paused briefly, before giving the other a reassuring smile. "Don't worry- I'll keep trying to reach him through my PET. You and Zero go on ahead and stop whoever's hacked the mother computer."

"Netto is right, Hub." Zero spoke up. "I'm sure X will be fine, wherever he's fallen to. He's not going to just give up without a fight."

"Alright… I got you." Thought still slightly reluctant, Hub nodded. "I'm counting on you to defeat whoever's hacked into the mother computer, Zero!"

"Whoever's in there is strong… But i won't lose!" Jumping through the damaged area of the final firewall, Zero had entered into the main systems of the mother computer, a giant, stoic figure stood motionlessly in the center of the area.

"...So, you're the one who's responsible for hacking the mother computer…"

"..."

The Navi's silence unnerved him, but Zero refused to be intimidated. He summoned his sword and pointed it at the other. "Seize this at once!"

"That, I cannot do." The Navi finally spoke. "I have a duty to fulfil, and I must see to my task's end."

"Is that so?" Zero prepared himself for a fight. "Then I'll just have to defeat you!"

"I admire your courage." Though it was clear that a fight was unavoidable, the Navi still remained motionless. "But I, Knightman, will not allow you to sway me from my duty!"

"We'll see about that!" Dashing forward, Zero raised his sword and swung it towards his target. As expected, Knightman's bulky armour didn't allow him to move to avoid his attack, forcing him to take the brunt of the sword attack full force, but-

_Crack!_

"Wh-what?" Startled, Zero looked to see that only the hilt of the sword still remained, the rest of it having shattered and broken off when he swung his sword at the other.

"The sword isn't strong enough to pierce his armour?" Hub quickly took out a Battle Chip to replace Zero's weapon. "What about this? Attack Battle Chip; Z-Saber! Slot in!"

"Eat this!" Attacking with renewed vigor, Zero went in for a stab, thrusting the saber forward, expecting his attack to stab through the other's armor this time, but-

_Clunk!_

"H-how…?" The red Navi was shocked, to say the least. He had never faced an opponent who had been able to withstand multiple of his attacks without the use of barriers or auras, just by using their own body armor as their defense before. "There's not even a dent…!"

"..." Knightman finally seemed to be reacting to his opponents attack. "Is that all?" Raising on of his arms, he aimed the spiked ball attached to his arm at the red Navi. "Royal Wrecking Ball!"

Even if he was much quicker and agile than the other Navi, Zero found himself unable to avoid the point-blank attack that he had put himself in by having decided to attack Knightman up close. As the attack connected, the air was completely knocked out of Zero's breath as the force of the impact threw him back, the red Navi falling onto the floor, reeling in shock and pain. "Kuh! Th-this sort of power…"

"So that's how he was able to break down all of those firewalls!" Hub quickly realized, growing increasingly worried by their predicament. "With such raw power and defensive abilities… Can we even damage him at all...?"

"What are you talking about, Nii-san?" Though he still hadn't been able to reach his NetNavi, Netto had been watching the entire thing play out from the sidelines. "You can't lose to him!"

Hub paused. He stared at his younger sibling briefly- While it was no secret that Netto was not nearly as perceptive or thoughtful that he was, he couldn't deny the fact that the younger of the two was a lot less quick to lose hope or let his determination falter. "Y-you're right… But what can we do…?"

"Just think about what would happen if we don't stop them!" Netto urged. "Remember what dad said about the mother computer? If that were to happen, then all those people…" The younger of the two quickly stopped, not allowing himself to further dwell on that fact. "I… I'm not as smart as you are, but I'm sure you'll think of something, Nii-san!"

It was difficult for Hub not to admire his younger sibling's will at this point.  _'If only X hadn't fallen, maybe they would have been able to trigger Style Change again…'_

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Hub blinked. It had given him an idea.

"Z-Zero!" deciding that there was no reason not to attempt the idea at this point, Hub turned to his NetNavi. "We… We can't lose to him. Not when there's so much as stake, okay?"

His NetNavi appeared to have caught on to what he was trying, and nodded wordlessly. If Knightman was confused by this, he didn't show it.

"I am afraid it has to end here." Taking aim once more, Knightman swung the ball and chain over his head once, twice, before hurling the spiked ball at Zero. "Royal Wrecking Ball!"

With his speed, Zero was able to jump over the spiked ball as it came hurtling towards him. Then, as he ran towards his opponent, a single thought flashed across his mind.

' _This is it- I can't lose!'_

Something clicked at the back of his mind, and his Navi emblem began to glow. Knightman had to shield his eyes from the light. "Wh-what? What is the meaning of-"

The sound of crushing metal interrupted him, and Knightman found himself hunched over. The Navi heaved, realizing that his chest plate had been completely crushed, and as his vision recovered from the light, Zero's form had briefly taken on a dark, winged shape, before it had quickly faded back into its original form.

"Huhmm…" With great effort, Knightman righted himself. "Im...Impressive… However, I will not allow myself to-"

"That's enough, Knightman." Another voice stopped him, this one sounding more feminine, but not one that Zero or Hub regcnoized.

"Wh-who…?"

Knightman looked as if he was about to say something, when the voice spoke out once more. "We've done what we came for, for now, Knightman. Plug out."

"..." Without another word, Knightman obliged, and logged out of the mother computer systems no a moment later.

"He… He's gone…" Zero was still worried about the voice they had heard just now- Could that have been Knightman's operator?

"Don't mind that now." Hub said. "Zero, see if you can reboot the defense programmes- Maybe that will fix the firewalls and stop the viruses from coming in!"

"Got it!" Heading over to one of the control panels, Zero accessed the mother computer's systems. "...All systems rebooting. The firewalls should be coming back online gradually."

Both the Hikari twins sighed in relief. Crisis averted. "You did it, Nii-san!"

"It was thanks to you, too." Hub smiled. "I… I didn't think I could have done it. Thanks for believing in me."

"It's nothing!" Netto brushed his words off. Before he could say anything else, the boy was startled by a beeping sound coming from his PET. "E-eh? My PET's reacting? But…"

Turning on the screen of his PET, Netto gasped. "X! Y-you're alright!"

"I am." X nodded. "But… Can you plug Zero into DenCity's cyberworld? I... I need some help…"

Though confused, Hub had done as the Navi requested, and as Zero neared the area where Netto's PET had located X, he quickly saw what the other Navi had meant; X was strung up and suspended mid-air by several large blue and white polka-dotted balloons. As soon as x saw Zero approaching, he called out to the red Navi. "Zero! A little help?"

Zero climbed up to him using some data cubes and cut the ropes tying X and the balloons together, being careful to catch the other Navi so he wouldn't fall onto the ground below. The balloons quickly floated away after that.

"X, what happened after you fell?" Zero was understandably baffled by this turn of events. "Why were you tied to those balloons?"

"I have no idea myself." X frowned. "I was already like this when I woke up… Huh?" Finally noticing that a piece of small paper had been stuck to his chest with tape, X took it off and noticed that there appeared to be something written on it.

" _Stop clowning around and watch your step- You wouldn't want to make a fool of yourself, right kid? Hee hee!"_


	104. Chapter 86

"What a mess…"

"THESE ARE ALL OF THE DAMAGED PARTS FROM THE DEFENSIVE SYSTEMS WE MANAGED TO RECOVER, MISTER OFFICER." The programme told him after laying down the final piece of damaged data.

"Hm." Blues looked over each of the pieces briefly. "What happened to the video feed? Weren't there security feeds that captured the event?"

"E-ER! WE-WELL…" The programme fidgeting nervously. "TH-THE VIDEO FEED… IT COULDN'T BE LOCATED."

The Navi frowned. "Why not?"

"IT, IT SEEMS SOMEONE MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN INTO THE DATA LOGS WHILE THE ATTACK WAS HAPPENING." The programme told him. "WE- WE WEREN'T ABLE TO RECOVER ANYTHING. THE RECORDS WERE ALL WIPED CLEAN."

"I guess that would go for the access logs as well?"

The programme shrunk slightly under his gaze. It turned slightly, only able to give a soft nod affirming his suspicions.

"Blues." The holographic image of his operator flickered to life before him. "Did you manage to find anything?"

"It appears that all traces of access or recording of the event has been wiped, Enzan-sama." The Navi replied. "We only have witness testimony and the damaged defense systems to work with."

The white haired boy narrowed his eyes, clearly displeased. "How troublesome… But I don't suppose it can be helped…" Then, he turned back to the matter at hand. "What can you tell from the wreckage, then?"

"According to one of the witnesses, the NetNavi's name was Knightman." Blues said as he observed the salvaged parts before him. "It's not any NetNavi that we currently have on record, we can be sure of that. I don't recall any of them possessing this sort of power to be able to cause such havoc."

"That's worrying…" Enzan was quiet for a moment, mulling over what Blues had said. That name sounded familiar, but where had he heard it before…? "...Run that name and any descriptors of that Navi we have through the data logs. In the meantime, keep looking for anything else that could help us get a clearer picture of the attack."

"Of course." After deciding that he'd had a decent look at the damaged parts of the defense systems and had analyzed them thoroughly, Blues decided to move on to the areas surrounding the mother computer- The blows dealt by the attacker seemed too precise to have been done just on a moment's notice. There was obviously some kind of planning behind the attack, and if he could determine where the attacker had scouted out the defense systems from, perhaps more information would be revealed to him.

"...Damn, it looks like some sort of hurricane tore through this place- How're we supposed to fix all of this?"

The red Navi's sharp ears allowed him to pick up the distance rumblings of another NetNavi that Blues determined had to be part of the repair crew. He didn't actively paid those Navies any mind, but their idle conversation could still be occasionally heard from where they were working.

"The power line's been completely torn up over here as well. We'll need to replace everything."

"Shit. I knew I shouldn't have come in for work today."

"Come on. Just help me get the supplies from back there and we can begin working on it. The sooner we get this done and over with, the better."

That last voice in particular made Blues pause. He frowned- Why did it sound so familiar…?

His curiosity piqued, Blues turned to where he had heard the conversation come from. As expected, it appeared to be a group of NetNavies from Den City's power plant checking over the power lines around the area, but one of the NetNavies in particular had caught his attention.

"You!" Blues couldn't quite contain the shock he felt as he recognized the Navi. "You're Elecman from WWW!"

All of the Navies paused in their work, looking at the red Navi in unanimous concern and confusion, and Elecman only had a moment to wonder why a Net Police Officer was charging at him before he was knocked to the ground.

* * *

Aftering being bored and worried out of his mind at the same time being cooped up in the Undernet, Rockman finally decided to order a copy of the book and read through it for himself. It worked to take his mind off of things for the most part, and he found it entertaining, albeit slightly cheesy at times. He could only imagine how the cartoon series of Lunar Knights had been. He was halfway through the third chapter of Lunar Knights when he got the message from Shadowman.

Apparently, Blues had arrested Elecman while the former WWW Navi was in one of the SciLab computers. Rockman had nearly just headed out to the surface net once more, but the shadow Navi had also quickly advised him against it. Not unless he wanted to anger his mate even more than he already had the last time.

Despite this, the blue Navi still found himself hesitant to let the misunderstanding continue, and it took another series of audio calls to convince the other Navi that he had no malicious intent. Rockman somehow was both relieved and nervous when he saw Blues approaching the gates to the Undernet.

"..." It was obvious that Blues still distrusted him. "I can't believe you would be the one to seek me out."

"It's not a trick, Blues." Rockman sighed. "I have information you want. If you let my subservient go, I'll give you that information."

"He still has to pay for his crimes in WWW's net terrorism." Blues stated, his tone harsh. "That can't be done."

"It's not his fault that he doesn't have a good operator!" Rockman said, before he could stop himself. "...Besides. I'm sure you've noticed by now. He doesn't have any memories of being part of WWW. There's no reason in keeping him in custody and going through his key data for information, if that's what you wanted to do."

"And the other surviving WWW Navies?"

"Their memories have been deleted from their key data as well. What did you think?" Rockman resisted the urge to slap himself on the head. He'd almost forgotten how stubborn the other Navi had been. "Blues, there's no reason to distrust me so much- I mean, I guess you have your reasons, but you can at least cut me some slack! I'm trying to work something out with you here!"

"...Fine." The two Navies were quiet for a while, before Blues appeared to have come to a decision. "But I want whatever information you have on Gospel, first."

Rockman allowed himself a small smile. That was a good start. "So, you know that all of the recent attacks were because of Gospel, huh?" When Blues didn't answer, Rockman took his silence as a yes. "The virus attack on the Internet City, Yumland's central area being hacked and now the mother computer… They're all severe, but they're only just building up to something else."

"What do you mean?" Rockman couldn't really blame Blues for that reaction. It was a bit hard to imagine anything above the scale of all these recent attacks.

"Unlike WWW, Gospel's plans is for world domination instead of world destruction." Rockman explained. "Gospel is still testing the waters with the cyber world's resistance, but at the same time, they're looking for some sort of power that would help them maintain their control over the net once they've taken it." It made sense- as of yet, Gospel's attacks were about circumventing or destroying security and taking control of the main systems to do as they please, causing mass panic through the cyberworld as a result.

"...You talk a good game." Blues finally spoke. "But I still have yet to see the proof to back up your claims."

The blue Navi grinned. He'd expected this. He took out a datapad- It was fortunate that he had Shadowman rebug the entire area inside of SciLabs while they had the opportunity. "You might want to look into Princess Pride's visit to SciLabs, Blues." Rockman said as he handed the datapad over to the other Navi. "It might yield some unexpected results."

There was a brief moment of hesitation, before Blues took the datapad from his hands. At the same time, a ping notified the red Navi of the results from the data logs.

Knightman- a Navi specifically designed to be both physically powerful and strong defensively- was the NetNavi of Princess Pride.


	105. Chapter 87 (H)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Fuck. I never want to do another chapter where I have to do Forte's mental gymnastics while I'm sick. Anyways, you guys may or may not get a chapter tomorrow, because i suddenly realized i had no idea where I wanted to take the Gospel arc and so I'm currently scrambling through the games and manga for possible solutions. Shit.

Rockman was still reading his copy of Lunar knights when Forte returned from scouring the Undernet once more.

"...I still can't believe you were serious about reading it."

Blushing, Rockman put the datapad away. "I know the cover looks bad, Forte, but the story itself is alright."

The other Navi gave him a dubious look. "I don't think you're quite the demographic for a fantasy novel about two teenage boys hunting vampires, Mega."

"..." The blue Navi looked away briefly, embarrassed. There was no use denying that that was pretty much the entire plot of the entire novel. "...Were you looking for information regarding Gospel again? Did you find anything?" Rockman decided to change the subject.

"I did manage to contact them again somewhere in the Undernet, yes." Forte tilted his head slightly. "Though I had the feeling that was what they wanted."

"So, they actually did contact you again?" Rockman frowned. He couldn't help but grow worried. While it was unlikely that Gospel knew of his relationship with Forte, if Forte's prior conversation with Freezeman was to be believed, but there was just no way to know for certain.

Forte seemed to have caught onto his change in emotion. Grinning, the dark Navi brushed the side of Rockman's cheek with the back of his hand. "I'm pondering whether or not to call you out on your hypocrisy when that's how you leave me whenever you go to the surface net unprompted."

Rockman swatted his hand away, clearly flustered. "S-so? Did you manage to find out what they're trying to do?"

"Quite a bit more than last time." Forte's expression turned to his usual serious look as he spoke. "It appears that they've looked into a lot of your activities while you were meddling with WWW. I realize you were trying to be discreet about it, but you've unintentionally left a lot of digital footprints for people to follow, if they knew where to look."

The blue Navi grasped his cloak, biting his lips as he heard this. While the other Navi had warned him this might be the case before, and it was the main reason for him staying in the Undernet at the moment, he hadn't realize how severe the situation had been. "...Are… Are they really going to put Netto and Hub in danger? Just to…"

"That's the thing." Forte seemed thoughtful as he continued. "During our exchange, it was clear Gospel knew about your tendencies to protect those two Hikari twins- Whether or not they know the reason behind it, I can't tell, but from what I was able to gather, you aren't their main target."

"What?" That surprised and confused Rockman. Wasn't the whole point of their entire exchange was that they were worried Gospel would use Netto and Hub to draw him out? "How could you tell?"

"It's just speculation at this point." The other Navi said. "But I got suspicious when I found out the location of where they planned their final attack to be- Some ship in the middle of the ocean."

Rockman blinked. That was the exact location where he and Forte confronted each other and had their first battle after he had successfully mastered Ultimate Style, but… "Wh… What does this location have to do with anything?"

"It's just such an unconventional place to plan your attack from if your plan is for world domination, isn't it?" Forte asked him. "I had supposed that their original plan might have been for me to delete you if you happened to show up and attempt to foil their plans like you had done with WWW, but if that were the case, wouldn't it be more reasonable to plan their final attack on some other part of the cyberworld? One that, perhaps was more vital to the functioning of network society like WWW had?"

Rockman paused. He thought over what Forte had said, before nodding. Now that he'd said it... the whole thing did sound weird. "You're right. But I still don't understand how that translates to them having a different target…"

"That's my second point." Forte shrugged. "From what I can tell, Gospel appeared confident they were able to lure you out. Which means that they were going to have to bring those two Hikari twins on board, somehow." At this, Forte met Rockman's gaze directly. "Then, I realized something."

"What is it?"

"If you were truly the only problem they wanted to be rid of, then once they've gotten rid of you, then those two twins would be useless to them after the fact. They shouldn't care what happened to the two of them afterwards." Even Forte appeared baffled by this fact. "But… if the final location of their plan was on a ship on sail, no one could get on or off after it left the dock."

"Maybe that's just their way to make sure where Netto and Hub would be?" Rockman wondered. If you wanted to use someone as leverage to threaten another person, it was definitely a lot easier and alot more effective if you had the person hostage in a secure location.

"That's what I thought as well, and perhaps it might be a reason why they chose the location." Forte acknowledged. "But then, I noticed something else. During their attack on the Internet City, there was an Undernet mercenary hired to take out those two Navies, right?"

Rockman nodded. He'd told Forte about what happened, after the fact. "I think Shadowman said that his name was Swallowman…"

"When was the last time you saw him?"

"The Internet City…" Rockman trailed off. He was already beginning to suspect what was happening.

Sensing his suspicions, Forte nodded. "They don't want to delete those two anymore. At least, not yet."

"Their Style Changes!" Rockman gasped. He couldn't believe he didn't see it sooner. When he had been the one to obtain Style Change, Gospel had also taken an interest in his newfound powers, and that had prompted then to seek Forte's help out in obtaining it, though he supposed he wouldn't know what Gospel had bribed Forte with the first time around to get the dark Navi to show up.

"Like I said. It's all just speculation." Forte told him. "But… that's the most sense I can make of it."

"Forte! If they're going to go after Netto and Hub regardless… I can't just stay in the Undernet! I have to be there when they attack!" Rockman was frantic, the revelation unsettling him greatly. "I… I know you don't like me putting myself in danger, but-"

"It's alright. I'll let you off, this time."

Rockman blinked. "Wh...what?" He hadn't expected that answer.

"I know better than to believe that my disagreement alone will keep you from getting involved." Forte explained, sensing his astonishment. "And allowing you in the surface net where I can keep an eye on you is a much better option than the alternative of you going behind my back and doing whatever reckless things you happen to come up with the spot, isn't it?"

"..."

Rockman turned his head away, blushing. While one part of him was grateful that Forte thought this way, but the other… "I'm… I'm not that reckless. I don't just do things without thinking."

"Perhaps not normally." Forte gave a soft laugh. "But I find that statement particularly false whenever you're put in the heat of the moment."

That statement reminded Rockman of something. "...Say, if Gospel really did find out as much about me as you'd say, then wouldn't they know what happened with you saving me from the Dream Virus self-destructing?" Rockman frowned. "What's that all about?"

"I wouldn't know about that." Forte shrugged. "But considering all the rumours in the Undernet surrounding us, perhaps they thought I was... saving you for later."

The dark Navi's tone had turned suggestive towards the end, and Rockman shrunk back, his face turning a bright shade of red. "Forte, no."

"Doesn't that make sense?" Forte continued, leaning in and taking his hands. "When Gospel hands you over to me- When I have you where I want you,  _Blue Myth_ …" The dark Navi paused, pulling the blue Navi close and biting the side of his neck softly. "...You know what I'm going to do?"

Rockman shivered when he felt the other Navi trail his hands down his waist. "...What?"

"I'm going to force myself onto you." Rockman's breath hitched. He grasped onto Forte's cloak as the other Navi began to move him where he'd wanted. "I'm going to make you carry my offspring."

Rockman was entirely compliant as Forte guided him to lay on his back and removing all of his clothing. He couldn't quite stop the shudder that went through his entire body as Forte pushed both his legs up, folded up against his chest. His breath was already tainted with want and his pupils blown wide with desire when he felt the other Navi push up against him- He wanted this. He wanted his dominant's offspring inside of him.

"Ahn!" Rockman's entire body jerked, his inner walls quivering as Forte pushed himself in fully. Gasping, the blue Navi grasped onto the discarded cloak to his side, his insides tensing and relaxing rhythmically. "For… Forte…"

"You're so warm and tight in there." Forte said as he bucked his hips against the smaller Navi, the tip of his length bumping against his inner opening, drawing out another gasp and whine from the Navi beneath him. "I can just imagine what you'll be like with my child in there…"

Rockman whimpered, his toes curling as Forte began to thrust in and out of him. He couldn't even attempt to move himself away from the larger Navi with how Forte was holding him, and with how he was positioned, the other Navi was able to thrust down against that innermost part of him effortlessly. "N-ahnn…! N-not so… Nn, hnn…"

"It would be quite the sight to behold, wouldn't it?" Forte didn't relent in his motions, biting the base of Rockman's neck as he continued. "The fabled Blue Myth. Fat, heavy and pregnant with my offspring."

"Nhh!" Rockman couldn't help it. His entire body shook in want and anticipation at the other Navi's words, while his insides clutched desperately, trying to bring the other in  _there-_ "F-Forte…!"

"It's alright. You're not going anywhere." A particularly harsh thrust had left Rockman wailing, tossing his head back as his insides quivered in joy.  _Yes, please, in there, more…!_

"I'm going to make sure you're carrying long before we're over." Sensing his excitement, Forte sped up, ignoring the frantic cries as the smaller Navi began to sob from over stimulation. "And when you're showing, everyone will only have to take a single look at you to know that I did this to you. That I claimed you as my own and made you carry my offspring."

The knowledge that other people will know that his dominant had put his child inside of him- that was all it took for Rockman to climax. The blue Navi letting out a long cry as he orgasmed, his body falling lax as Forte continued to thrust into him, letting out short, startled whines with every inward push but otherwise remained completely docile underneath the larger Navi.

When Forte came, Rockman gasped, before trailing off into a series of incoherent sounds as his inner walls clutched around the other's length, shuddering when he felt the familiar warm beginning to spill and pool deep inside of him-  _He was going to get pregnant from there…!_

"Hn." As the blue Navi slowly recovered from his high, he kicked his legs slightly. "Forte."

"What?" The dark Navi tilted his head. "Did it not feel good?"

"Th-that's…" Rockman wasn't sure if it was possible for his face to get any redder. "...My legs. They're sore behind held like that."

"Ah. Sorry." Letting Rockman's legs slide down to around his waist, Forte patted one of his thighs gently. "It's just easier to get my seed inside of there like that, wasn't it?"

Rockman's breath hitched, and he couldn't quite stop the shiver that shot down his spine at the other Navi's words. Still clutching his cloak in one of his hands, the blue Navi turned his head to the side. "...You're still so insistent on that."

"Why not?" Forte asked as he kissed him, the smaller Navi whining when he felt one of Forte's hands pressing down softly onto his abdomen. "You want this too, right?"

"..." Rockman didn't know how to answer. It was definitely a nice thought, but it was just something that couldn't be done. Forte, however, seemed to have other plans, and before Rockman was able to get a single word out, he'd begun his efforts anew, grabbing both of Rockman's hips as he bucked himself repeatedly into the smaller Navi.

"For- A-ahh…! F-Forte…!"

"I told you." Forte said as he kissed him softly. "I told you I'd get you pregnant before I'm through with you."


	106. Chapter 89 (Undernet hideout)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: That moment when you don't like getting into shitstorms yourself but you like watching a bunch of other people get into shitstorms so you don't do anything to lessen or worsen the situation and just look on from the sidelines nosey af.

A series of loud roars were heard as a herd of CanDevil viruses opened their mauls, shooting out a series of fireballs at their intended target. Yet, in a series of quick flashes, their attacks were quickly deflected, some of their shots rechochieted back towards them, leaving the viruses stunned and scrambling for cover to regroup. In another brief swings of a blade, the CanDevil viruses were all sliced clean in half, the fading shriek were the only things left behind as they were swiftly deleted. The Navi took a moment to gather his surroundings, making sure that there weren't any other viruses laying in the wait to ambush him, before he steadied himself, dismissing his sword and forming it back into his hand.

"Blues." Just as the Navi had finished dispatching of the wave of viruses, the holographic image of his operator appeared before him. "Have you managed to find Gospel's hideout yet?"

"Not yet, Enzan-sama." Blues replied. "But if the information we gathered is accuracy, I believe the entrance to Gospel's Undernet hideout is just nearby."

The white haired boy frowned, not entirely displeased, but not completely unconcerned, either. "We need to know what they're planning. If their next attempt is anything like their last one, it could have serious consequences on network society as a whole."

"I understand, Enzan-sama." Blues nodded. "I shall find their location soon."

Once Enzan's image flickered off, Blues continued his way through the Undernet, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious that may hint to Gospel's location. After they'd realized that the Navi that had attacked SciLabs and the mother computer therein had been Princess Pride's, the two of them had looked into her past history, trying to determine if there was anything in there that could point them towards where the new terrorist organization was located, or at least, what their motivations were. Their search sadly hadn't yielded any result, but they were able to determine that Creamland's Princess might have allied themselves with Gospel as revenge.

Creamland had been one of the first countries to gain access to the net. It was a huge achievement, but as other countries gradually begin to catch on, Creamland's achievements were never truly realized, and their contributions made towards advancing the cyberworld had also been forgotten. It was sad, yet somewhat ironic at the same time.

While their own investigations into Princess Pride's history hadn't necessarily given them any leads, the data that the Blue Myth had given them had proven surprisingly useful- Their main obstacle in investigating Gospel was that records of entry and video recordings had somehow been wiped clean after every attack. It was difficult to determine the whereabouts of your enemy when there was no logs or video data showing where they had come from, or where they ran to. Yet, miraculously, the datapad they had received from the Blue Myth contained nearly every aspect relating to the attack- All of the wiped data logs, the video recording of the incident, and both Enzan and Blues didn't suppose they should be surprised to see that the Hikari twins were yet again somehow involved in this attack as well. But it was by going through the entirety of the data logs that they were able to pin down the possible location of Gospel to be within this area of the Undernet. Now they only had to see if their theory proved to be correct.

That aside, however, the red Navi was still very much concerned on how the Blue Myth came into possession of such data to begin with. While she can sometimes be seen in the surface net, those occurrences didn't tend to happen unless there was some sort of disaster waiting to strike, and when it did, the Blue Myth was usually found in the dead center of all the commotion. Blues didn't think that she would be interested in collecting data somewhere else on the side and not be directly involved if the Blue Myth was indeed as attracted to chaos as she was.

...Though, wasn't there something called "pacts" that's semi-common among Undernet Navies? Blues unconsciousness frowned at the thought. It was no secret to him that the Blue Myth already had several subservients- He used to think that she'd only had the one, but after running into one of the former WWW NetNavies, it occurred to him that the Blue Myth had, for some reason, taken them under her wing. Further digging on the matter had showed that Fireman was now a NetNavi managing the furnace computer in the local trash disposal plant, while Colouredman resided in one of the computers in one of DenCity's arcades. It was not unimaginable that the Blue Myth might have other subservients, ones that were working from within SciLabs…

Abruptly, he reminded himself to focus. It wouldn't do him any good to let his mind wander while he was in an area as dangerous as the Undernet. And while the possibility of his self-constructed presumption unnerved him greatly, Blues reminded himself that Gospel was currently the bigger fish. He may not have a single clue behind the blue Myth's motives for helping them, but the issue with Gospel was a more prominent and immediate threat that needed to be addressed, now. He could deal with the issues regarding the Blue Myth once Gospel had been brought down.

"...Hm? What's this…?" Noticing an oddly placed security block, Blues quickly came to the conclusion that this had to be the place he was looking for. "Enzan-sama. I believe I may have found the entrance to Gospel's Undernet base."

"Good." His operator's voice said back. "Proceed with caution, Blues."

"Of course." Summoning his sword, the red Navi slashed the security block in half- He'd dealt with many different models of security blocks to know how to deactivate them without triggering any security or warning systems that they may be attached to. As the blockade fell, a warp pad was revealed to him.

"Just as expected…" Blues murmured to himself. Then, he stepped forward. "I'm heading in now."

Stepping onto the warp pad, the red Navi disappeared into a series of codes and data as he was transported elsewhere.

* * *

Quietly, Rockman poked his head out from where he had been watching. It was a surprise and a mere coincidence that he'd found Blues wandering around the Undernet, and the other's presence only served to confuse him- He didn't recall either Enzan or Blues going into the Undernet during any of Gospel's attacks in his previous timeline! But perhaps they were on some sort of official Net Police investigation…?

Curiosity piqued, the blue Navi couldn't resist trailing Blues from a distance. Having both fought alongside and against the other Navi multiple times, Rockman kept was he assumed to be a safe distance away from the red Navi in order to avoid being detected. It seemed to have worked, and even though the blue Navi did feel like a creep, following the other around without him knowing, he attempted to justify it in his mind that he was only doing so that he could lend a hand if Blues happened to run into trouble- as unlikely as that was.

Rockman almost didn't suppress a gasp when he watched Blues uncover a warp pad from under a security block and disappeared into it shortly after. Had that been there before? Rockman couldn't really tell. But now that he was certain that Blues had some sort of reason to be in the Undernet, the blue Navi was even more hesitant to let anything bad happen to the other Navi. Rockman wasn't one to judge, but from his own past experiences and other people's experience with the Undernet in general… Not a lot of good things could happen inside the Undernet.

His mind made up, the blue Navi waited for several more moments, before stepping onto the wrap pad after him, disappearing shortly afterwards as well.


	107. Chapter 90

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: In the Korean cartoon "Mask Man", the masked men of Planet Mask descended onto earth and held the Mask Man's Fight, where they all compete in a tournament to see who the strongest masked man is. Of the masked men, the strongest of them is said to be a masked man by the name of "Magnetman". He gets beaten by Bikeman in the same manner of how Duo gets beaten by Rockman in the game.

Blues was half-expecting an ambush at the other end of the warp portal, but as he materialized into the area, he was surprised to find the place completely devoid of any sort of activity, as if it had been abandoned entirely. Another quick scan throughout the area showed him that this was indeed the case- Many of the programmes and systems within the area had been damaged and broken beyond repair, and it there didn't seem to be any flow of data or current in or out of the place.

"...It seems they have fled this location, Enzan-sama." Once Blues was certain of the fact, he notified his operator through his PET instantly.

Enzan was silent in thought, before he spoke. "Search the area for any clues to their whereabouts now. They might have abandoned this place, but there may still be information that could prove useful."

"Of course." Blues nodded, before he continued his way through the area. Aside from being deserted, the red Navi couldn't pick up anything out of the ordinary. The place seemed to be just a place for Gospel to stash their systems and data in. That thought it particular gave Blues an idea- If he were to find some sort of data-logging system, perhaps he could retrieve whatever information that had been left behind.

Now with a clear task in mind, it only took Blues several moments to find the very thing he was looking for. Calmly walking over to the data-logging system, he placed one hand on it, attempting to access it, and frowned slightly when the system didn't respond. "As I expected. There's no electric currents running through this place."

"We can fix that." In response, Enzan took out a Battle Chip. "Battle Chip; Electric Sword. Slot in."

The red Navi's hand formed into the Electric Sword as he received the Battle Chip data, the slight crackles of raw energy illuminating the area slightly. Turning around, it took only another scan through the area to find what he believed to be the power systems. With a yell, Blues brought his sword down onto the system, the electricity from his blade jump starting the programme, and with a low whine, the area sprang to life and the lights were turned back on, startling both the Navi and the operator as they saw what the darkness had been hiding.

"What…?"

Giant claw marks were littered throughout the area. The walls and floor panels were completely torn up, and some of the server and system programmes had been shredded into pieces as well. Blues' first instinct was to think that this sort of damage might have been caused by a virus of sorts, but another glance at the markings told him otherwise.

There was no virus of that size that the Navi knew of which could leave claw marks of that size and scale.

"...We'll look into that later, Blues." Enzan witness the destruction through the screen of his PET as well, but was the first to recover. "Right now, let's see if we can salvage anything from that data-logging programme."

"On it."

Turning back to the data-logging system, the Navi placed his hand back onto it. This time, the screen of the system sprang to life, but…

Blues cursed. "They've wiped everything."

"Darn it…" Enzan hissed. Had they gone through all this trouble for nothing?

"...Hm?" Snapping into sudden alertness, Blues leapt to the side, just as a magnet shot past him, landing on the data-logging system and destroying it with a small explosion. Bringing his hand up, the Navi formed it into a sword, before he looked to where the ambush had come from. "Who's there?"

As the dust and smoke cleared, the form of a NetNavi resembling that of a magnet revealed himself. "Hm. It seems like we have a pest problem."

"You're one of Gospel's, aren't you?" There was no doubt in Enzan's words. There was no reason for any NetNavi to appear here otherwise.

"Hmph." The NetNavi silently acknowledge his words. "And you two must be the Net Police Officers, Enzan and Blues." Magnetman gave a short laugh, before he continued. "I have no idea what I've done to deserve a visit from you two… But you can be sure that I won't be letting you leave alive!"

With another swing of his hands, Magnetman summoned a ball of magnetic energy. Aiming it at blues, the gospel Navi hurled the attack towards him. "Magnet Blast!"

With another leap, Blues easily avoided the ball of energy. "Just my luck." He said, quietly, to himself. He had just be worried that their time spent looking for the place had been a complete waste. Now all they had to do is to delete this Gospel Navi and obtain his key data- There had to be another lead inside his memory data somewhere.

Magnetman didn't let up on his attacks. He continued to send ball after ball of magnetic energy at Blues, but the other was just too fast for the Gospel Navi to keep up with. Then, in a sudden moment of retaliation, Blues dashed forward, completely catching Magnetman off guard, slicing a piece of his body armour clean off as he swung the sword at the Gospel Navi. Alarmed by the sudden onslaught of attacks, Magnetman fell back instantly, but Blues wasn't about to let the other Navi escape. Chasing him through the broken and damaged systems in the area, it wasn't long before Blues' superior speed allowed him to catch up with Magnetman, the red Navi quickly placing himself in front of the Gospel Navi to cut off his escape path. "Nowhere to run, now."

"Tch…!" Realizing that he was extremely outclassed, the Gospel Navi scowled, before his expression shifted back into a slight grin. "...Heh. You're fast. I'll give you that. But what do you suppose you could do against… this?" As he paused, Magnetman raised a hand and snapped his fingers.

"What are you-" Whatever Blues had been about to say was cut short as he founds his body being suddenly pulled towards the ground. He quickly dug his sword into the ground, using it as leverage as he was yanked to his knees. "Wh-what?"

"How do you like it?" Magnetman laughed. " It's my Magnet Panel!" Then, he continued, in a more mocking manner. "What's the matter? Can't move a muscle?"

"Tch!" As much as he tried to, Blues couldn't pull himself up from the magnetic forces from the Magnet Panel dragging him down.

"Ha! Not so tough, after all!" Emboldened by his helplessness, Magnetman smirked as he raised both his hands. "Now, you'll taste the power of my strongest attack!"

From his form, a spiral of data began to split from Magnetman's body, before taking the shape of another Magnetman, but this one blue instead of red in colour. Then, the two Magnetmans yelled in unison. "Take this! N-S Tackle!"

Blues watched as the two Magnetmans charged at him, one coming from his left, the other from his right. Gritting his teeth, the red Navi made a split-second decision. Yanking his sword from the ground with all his strength, Blues attacked the original Magnetman to his right, driving his sword directly through the Gospel Navi's chest. In the exact same moment, the sound of a buster shot rang out through the area.


	108. Chapter 91

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: For some reason the Gospel arc seems oddly shorter than the WWW arc…? Weird. I hope I'm not rushing over the plot too much.

Magnetman wheezed as he fell to the ground, clutching the large wound where Blues' sword had sliced through him. "Th-that… That was my perfect attack…!" He coughed, reeling in shock and pain. "How did you…"

Instead of answering, Blues turned his head, a light scowl forming on his face. "...You grow more obnoxious each time we meet."

"I know." The voice surprised Magnetman, and it was only then that he noticed the silhouette of a hooded figure, standing behind the Net Police Officer. "You're going to say that you had this all under control, right?"

Magnetman's eyes widened. He'd finally caught on to what had just happened; While Blues had aimed his attack directly at him, someone else had come from behind and took out his clone. That other person being none other than…

"The Blue Myth…" Through his pain, the Gospel Navi managed to grit out, a weird smirk on his face. "What an… unexpected visitor…"

"Enough." Blues cut him off, walking closer to the downed Navi. "You're hereby under arrest for suspicions of-"

"Blues, wait!" The hooded Navi, as if realizing something, attempted to stop him. "He's-"

Not giving either Navi a chance to react, Magnetman raised his hand, firing the Magnet Blast he had be charging up at the other two Navies. Grabbing Blues by his wrist, the hooded Navi managed to yank him out of the way, the blast colliding against the far end of the area, sending dust and smoke everywhere. With a swing of his sword, Blues quickly dissipated the thick wall of dust covering the area, but it was already too late. The Gospel Navi had escaped among the haze.

As if adding insult to injury, Blues heard the Navi behind him gasp. "Oh! He's escaped…"

Turning to the other Navi, Blues almost didn't suppress his urge to yell. "I had everything all under control."

The hooded Navi appeared surprised, before she brought a hand to her face, the red Navi catching a brief glimpse of a knowing smile before it was covered.

...Wait a minute…

"H-Hey! Don't get so mad, okay?" The blue Navi stammered, slightly embarrassed as Blues didn't even bother to hide his displeasure. "I didn't mean anything by it- Really!"

"And yet you keep showing up at the first signs of trouble." Blues looked back to where the Gospel Navi had been before he disappeared. "...I would've gotten what I came here for, if you hadn't interrupted."

He could almost hear the tilt of the other's head. "Is that what you're upset about?"

Blues didn't answer instantly, pressing his lips into a thin line. There was just something about this NetNavi that bothered him- The way she carried herself, the way she appeared to know something he did not, the way she acted with kindness that he still wasn't entirely sure wasn't fienged-

It was both confusing and unnerving him. Blues hated mysteries, and the Blue Myth was no exception.

"...Oh. You wanted his memory data, right?" The red Navi snapped his head back to the other Navi when he felt the other take his hand. "Here, take this."

He felt something being pushed into his hand, and the Navi twitched slightly when he saw what it was.

"When that Gospel Navi split himself into two, apparently his key data had also been copied into his clone, too." The Blue Myth waved her hands briefly as she explained. "I'm not sure what you'll find- But I guess having his memory data is at least better than nothing, right?"

"Why are you doing this?" Blues asked the Navi before he could stop himself. It was a question that had been nagging at the back of his mind ever since he'd saw the Navi appear during the whole WWW debacle. For all he knew, the Blue Myth was an Undernet Navi, and should, by no means, be affected by anything that happens in the surface net. There had to be some sort of ulterior motive for her to help the Hikari twins put a stop to WWW that he wasn't seeing.

He didn't believe for a moment that the other was as good-willed and innocent that she had made herself out to be.

"A thanks would have been nice!" The Blue Myth pouted, something Blues hadn't been quite expecting. It was just such a childish thing for anyone to do. "But, if you really wanted to know, it's because you'd be too proud to accept it otherwise, right?"

The red Navi blinked at her words. It took him an embarrassingly long amount of time to realize that the other Navi had been answering his prior question, and in that moment, the Blue Myth appeared to have come to the conclusion that her business was done here. "It was nice talking to you, Blues. I know you don't trust me, but I hope you'd at least try to, in the future."

The red Navi watched in stunned silence as the Blue Myth turned to leave, giving him one last smile before disappearing from the area completely.

"...What sort of answer was that…?" The Navi murmured softly to himself. Telling him why she'd forced the Gospel Navi's memory data into his hands instead of just handing it to him instead of what he was clearly asking…

Had she just cleverly circumvented his question?

The red Navi looked down into his hand, where he was still holding the piece of memory data in the center of his palm.

"...Hmph." With a sense of renewed determination, Blues clutched the piece of data in his hand. "... I'll figure you out. Sooner or later."

* * *

Rockman was still filled with a strange sense of nostalgia as he left the hidden Gospel base- Ever since he had been thrown back in time, all his encounters with Blues had seen the two Navies being placed on opposing sides. This was as close as it got to when the two of them had been fighting alongside each other back in the blue Navi's previous timeline. Though Rockman acknowledged that he was still far from being friends with this iteration of Blues, he definitely wouldn't mind fighting with instead of against the other Navi in the future.

"Mistress!"

Rockman was snapped out of his thoughts. He turned to where he heard the voice come from. "Shadowman, what is-" The blue Navi gasped mid-sentence as he saw what the shadow Navi was holding.

"Beep?" Walking over, Rockman raised his hands. He was shaking when he took the virus from Shadowman's hands- Half of the Mettaur's body was covered in a thick layer of ice, and he could feel it trembling from the cold as he held it. "Beep! Are you okay? What happened?"

"Mettaur…" The virus let out a weak chirp. It didn't appear as if it would have the strength to tell him. Rockman looked back at Shadowman. "Shadowman… What happened to him?"

"I am uncertain." The shadow Navi looked solemn. "The virus was already covered in ice when it approached me. I came to you instantly."

"He was already like this…?" Rockman frowned. Hadn't Beep recently returned to the Mettaur Village for the moment because he had been suffering from homesickness…?

As soon as the thought had crossed his mind, a more dreadful realization occurred to him. The blue Navi wasted no time and headed to the place in mind, Shadowman following closely behind him. When the two Navies arrived, Rockman couldn't stop the growing horror he felt spreading inside of him.

The entire Mettaur Village was encased in ice, all of the viruses within the village unmoving, completely frozen in place.

"So you've come, Blue Myth."

Looking up, Rockman saw the suspected culprit standing on top of a large pillar of ice. He held the half-frozen virus in his arms tighter. "...Freezeman."

The Navi was too far up for Rockman to make out any distinctive features, but he could tell that the other's tone was taunting. "Do not think this will stop here. The moment you've decided to interfere with Gospel, you have doomed all those surrounding you."

"What do you want?" Rockman's voice was quivering. It was a long time since he had felt this scared and angry at the same time.

"I would keep a closer eye on those you cared for, Blue Myth." The Gospel Navi merely laughed. "It would be a shame if something were to have happened to them, wouldn't it?"

With that, the Gospel Navi faded away into the mist, leaving Rockman alone with the aftermath of what had occurred.


	109. Chapter 92

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Idk, I just don't like sad sex where one of them is practically crying. I'll make it up to you guys with a bunch of Forte/Rockman moments later before I mess everything up again.

Rockman was shaking. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been this upset. Try as he might, the ice couldn't be thawed- It shouldn't have surprised him. The blue Navi's past experiences told him the ice was unlikely to melt until the culprit had been deleted. That meant that all the Mettaurs in the village had to remain encased in ice until Rockman could resolve the whole Gospel incident. A quick look around the Mettaur Village while he had been trying to figure out an alternative way to free the viruses in the village had told him while some of the viruses appeared to have realized what was about to happen, the majority of them were completely oblivious to the fact, and were frozen where they stood. The blue Navi even found Gateman trapped in a pillar of ice somewhere within the village. The poor Navi probably had no idea what was about to happen.

If he had to guess, Beep was most likely one of the few Mettaurs who suspected that something was amiss. While he wasn't sure if Beep had been attempting to warn his companions of the incoming danger or was trying to sneak out of the village unnoticed by the Gospel Navi in order to seek help, the Mettaur had undoubtedly ended up being caught in the blast radius, getting half of its body frozen as a result. Shockingly, Beep was still able to drag his half-frozen body around the Undernet before Shadowman found him and brought the virus to Rockman, but the blue Navi could tell that the effort had been draining on the virus. Beep couldn't stop shivering from both the cold and overexertion, and even Scuttlest, who had never really been keen on getting along with the Mettaur whenever Rockman wasn't around, was oddly concerned for the smaller virus, occasionally nudging the Mettaur as he made confused noises, trying to figure out what was wrong with him.

Rockman clutched his head, gritting his teeth. He knew Gospel had been onto him, but he hadn't expected them to go after the Mettaur Village. Now everyone was frozen in ice because of him. He had to fix this-

The blue Navi jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He whipped around, but Forte quickly caught him. "Shh. It's just me. I've got you."

Rockman only grabbed onto Forte's cloak tightly as the other brought him into his arms, one hand trailing down his back in a comforting manner. "...What happened when I was away?" Forte asked him once he felt the smaller Navi calm down slightly. The dark Navi must have felt the sudden spike of distress as he neared his location.

"...Gospel." Rockman blurted out, not caring if Forte didn't understand what had happened. He was too upset. "It was Gospel. I have to stop them, Forte."

"What did they do?" Forte's voice was calm but stern.

"The Mettaur Village. Everyone's inside it is frozen, and it's because of me." Rockman shook his head. "It's my fault. I have to fix this."

"How?" The other prompted him softly.

"I don't know!" Rockman yelled. He knew what was wrong, and that he had caused it, but he didn't know how to fix it! "I- I just have to!"

"Mega." Forte placed a hand on the side of Rockman's face, gently guiding the smaller Navi to look at him. "I know you're upset and confused. But it's alright."

"No it's not!" The blue Navi nearly screamed at him. How could Forte say that?

The other Navi gripped his hand firmly. "Calm down." Forte told him. "The Mettaur Village is in a relatively secluded area of the Undernet. The Mettaurs may be frozen, but it's unlikely anyone will stumble upon them. They aren't in any danger of being deleted in the near future."

"But what if someone does?" Rockman asked. "People stumble onto new parts of the Undernet all the time."

"Gospel would have been dismantled by then." Forte narrowed his eyes. "They're going into the final stages of their plan, and we'll stop them and bring their whole organization down when they do so." The dark Navi gave his hand another squeeze. "Nothing's going to happen to anyone in the Mettaur Village between that time."

"...Okay…" The blue Navi gave a short nod as he acknowledged his words. "...But they're going after Netto and Hub next… What if the same thing happens to them? What if-"

"Mega." Forte cut him off. His voice was gentle, but his tone told Rockman that he wasn't going to allow any of the blue Navi's nonsense. "You gave them access to the Legendary Power and then taught them how to harness and control it. Please don't tell me you have so little faith in those twins that you'd think they aren't even capable of protecting themselves."

The dark Navi's sudden harsh words appeared to have worked, and Rockman abruptly snapped back into awareness, realizing what he'd just said. "...S-sorry… You're right. I shouldn't have doubted them like that." The blue Navi shook his head briefly, attempting to clear his head of all those thoughts. "I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking."

"It's alright. It's clear that you were upset." Forte said. "Gospel's final attack should be any moment now. And when it happens, we'll tear them apart. They won't get away with what they did."

Rockman fell quiet for a moment, before he leaned forward and kissed the other Navi, both hands wounding around Forte's neck. The dark Navi had allowed it, up until the point where the blue Navi had began to tug at his cloak, attempting to pull it off. "Mega. Stop." He took Rockman's wrist in his hands firmly, stopping the other Navi.

"Forte!" The blue Navi tried to struggle out of his grasp. "I… I want…!"

"I know." Forte kissed his forehead lightly. "I'll take care of you. But that's not what you need right now."

Embarrassed, flustered and slightly frustrated, Rockman buried his face in the other's chest. God damn it. The one time he had asked for… for…

Forte seemed to have sensed this. "Don't worry. I'll satisfy you, once you're feeling better." He held the Navi in his arms righter. "You should rest, for now."

Sighing, Rockman allowed himself to be held as Forte ran his hand down his back, before closing his eyes and slowly drifting off in the other's embrace.

* * *

"...That's all?"

"That's it, yeah." Swallowman shrugged. "Those two Hikari twins seemed to have a grasp at how to perform their Style Changes now, though it still seems to be triggered through experiencing danger or direct bodily harm."

"Is that so…" If Freezeman was intrigued, he didn't show it.

"...So, is there anything else you needed doing?" The bird Navi was still unnerved by the other Navi's emotionless appearance. "Cause if not, I'm just going to take my money and leave."

"Hm." The ice Navi merely nodded. "It would appear that Gospel is no longer in need of your… services."

The bird Navi paused, his wings giving a nervous twitch. Though he couldn't quite place it, there was just something in the Gospel Navi's tone that didn't quite make sense, and it had put him on edge. Just as he was about to ask for clarification, the bird Navi heard a low growl coming from behind him. Alarmed, Swallowman turned around, only to be met with a pair of large, menacing eyes.

" _Holy fuc-_ "

The rest of his scream was drowned out as the unknown terror swallowed him whole.


	110. Chapter 93

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I tend to be the most unproductive on Sundays, but thanks for raining. I like rain. They sound nice.

The two Hikari twins were screaming as they ran down the road.

"Damn it! We're going to be late!"

"I told you to get up five times!" Hub yelled back. "It's not my fault you fell back asleep everytime!"

Netto winced. While he acknowledged that he might have been responsible for the two of them being late as Hub had spent the last ten minutes trying to drag him out of bed, it wasn't his fault that he couldn't! "Darn it… We're so late… Mariko-sensei is going to so mad at us…"

As the two twins neared their classroom door, they fell to a stop, looking at each other. The younger of the two gestured to the door, hinting for Hub to open it, but the elder Hikari stood his ground, glaring at his younger sibling.

Seeing that he wasn't going to convince Hub otherwise, Netto took a deep breath. His hand shaking, he pushed the door open, fully expecting to be yelled at by their teacher. He bowed his head, clasping his hands together, attempting to do damage control of sorts before Mariko-sensei blew up on him. "I'm sorry I'm late!"

The class fell quiet, before their teacher spoke. "Netto! Late again, I see!"

"...E-eh?" The boy slowly looked up. Something wasn't quite right with Mariko-sensei's tone- It sounded too friendly, too kind, and the younger Hikari suspected it might be a ruse. Hub shared his thoughts exactly, and couldn't help but shiver in fear as their teacher walked over to them, grinning from ear to ear.

"You can't be late like that all the time!" Netto was too scared to shrink back when Mariko-sensei patted his head softly. "It's not a good habit for anyone, okay?"

"U-uh…" The boy was at a loss for words. Their teacher now turned to the elder of the two, Hub visibly tensing, as if a deer caught in headlights as Mariko-sensei's gaze fell upon him.

"You're Netto's elder sibling, Hub. You should remind your younger brother of such!" Mariko-sensei was still speaking in that sweet, gentle tone, smiling kindly at the two.

"O-of course!" Hub nodded frantically. "We're sorry for being late."

"Well, as long as you boys know not to do it again!" Their teacher gave them one last smile. "Alright, go back to your seats now!" With that, she turned back to the blackboard at the front of the class, almost humming to herself as she did so.

"...Weird…" Netto turned to his classmates. "Guys? What happened to Mariko-sensei? Is she…" He trailed off as he realized something.

None of the class appeared to be paying attention. They all seemed to have a dreamy look, as if pondering over something.

"What's happened to everyone?" Hub whispered as the two twins quietly made their way back to their seats. "They… They haven't fallen sick or anything, have they?"

"Netto! Hub!" As the two of them sat down, Maylu smiled mysteriously at them, as if she'd been keeping some sort of secret. "It happened before class, so the two of you wouldn't know, being late and all!"

"What?" Netto frowned, slumping down onto his desk. He was even more confused now. "What do you mean? What happened?"

The girl giggled, before wagging her finger in a teasing manner. "Everyone in class is invited to go on a first-class cruise!"

"A first-class cruise?" Hub raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Everyone? In class?"

Maylu nodded. "That's right! That's why everyone's so excited for it! It's not everyday you get invited by one of the richest people in Electopia to go on their cruise!"

"What?" Netto was still specital. "Do any of us know any famous billionaires? And why would someone like that want to invite us, of all people?"

The girl tilted her head slightly at that. "I think he's Guass Magnus, the CEO of Guass Inc." Maylu tapped her fingers idly as she recalled the details of the event. "His company's recently invested in this new line of cruise ships, and it seems he wanted someone to test out the services on board before he opens it up to the public." At that, the girl couldn't help but smile. "It's like he wants to know what children think of it specifically!"

"Really?" Hub couldn't quite believe it. "You're not just saying this, are you?"

"Of course not!" Maylu pouted. "Just ask anyone else in class! Mister Guass even came here in person to invite us! You two just missed him!"

"For real?" Netto then turned to Hub. "Nii-san, we're really going on a first-class cruise!"

Hub was unwillingly intrigued by this prospect as well. "When are we going?" He asked Maylu.

"Tomorrow! Lasting the whole weekend!" It was apparent that the girl was already imagining what was going to happen in her mind. "Oh! I can't wait!"

"This is amazing!" Netto grinned. He'd already forgotten about being late to class entirely. "Nii-san! Are you excited? What do you think it'd be like?"

"...It'll be interesting, for sure." Hub nodded slowly, still started by the whole thing. "But… I just can't help but feel that this is too good to be true…"

* * *

"So, this is where you've managed to track down Gospel to?"

Enzan narrowed his eyes as he looked at the monitor on the wall, showing the picture of the Sea Queen, a cruise ship recently purchased by Guass Inc. "From analysing the memory data we managed to retrieve from one of the Gospel Navies, this is where Gospel plans to launch their final attack."

"Hm." Inspector Oda nodded. "I reckon we should send some officers over-"

"No." The white-haired boy shook his head. "This will only alert them to our presence. They'll go back into hiding and we'll have missed our opportunity." Enzan frowned as he carefully weighed his options. "...If the data is correct, Guass Magnus is disguising their plan underneath some sort of customer test, and they've invited a bunch of children on board." At this, the boy looked up. "I'll go myself. I can blend in amongst the crowd and take out Gospel before anything else can happen."

"...Alright." The inspector nodded. Though he was worried, there was no denying that Enzan was one of their strongest officers. There was no reason to doubt the boy's reasoning or strength. "But don't hesitate to call for backup, should you need any."

"I won't be needing that." Enzan's look was determined.

Sighing, the man decided to change the subject. "Say, how did you manage to come across such vital information? Gospel has been quite uptight about keep their presence discrete, and it's hard to believe that an organization that exercises such caution would just suddenly slip up."

Enzan fell quiet, his lips pressed into a tight line, but the inspector seemed to have guessed what had happened. "Ah, it's  _her_ , isn't it? She appeared when WWW had surfaced, and she's decided to step in with Gospel too, huh?"

When the boy remained silent, Oda walked over to him, patting him lightly on the shoulder. "Ah, you're still young. But when you're older, you'll see that it's best not to see the world entirely in black and white. Sometimes, it's better to leave a bit of grey in between, hm?" With that, the inspector had left the room, leaving Enzan alone with his thoughts.


	111. Extra 5(H)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So I was thinking, since in real life, you see people making porn about celebrities or famous people, what if it happened in LGOTN?
> 
> A/N2: This may be the worst Extra chapter I have ever written.
> 
> A/N3: What the fuck did I write this is so bad.

_Her gaze was both expecting and surprised as the dark figure drew near, the old, dusty cloak flapping in the wind. There was the usual instinct to disappear before the other Navi got too close just at the back of her mind, but her curiosity was greater. For now._

_Besides, the Black Shadow still hadn't flown into a wild fury and attacked her yet. It was a good sign._

_It wasn't as if the Blue Myth was ignorant of just how dangerous the other Navi was. It was why she took such precautions to avoid the Black Shadow up until this point. She knew of her tendencies to attract… unwanted attention, and it had trained her to be alert and vigilant when it came to these things. Should the Black Shadow attempt to attack her and tear her apart as his reputation suggests he would do, there was no doubt in her mind that she would be able to slip away, just like many times before. She was much quicker and nimbler than he._

_It occurred to her that the same thought might have perhaps passed through the other's mind at that moment. The Blue Myth noticed the slight tilt of his finned helmet as he stalked near- If the Black Shadow was curious why she still remained where she was even now, that did little to deter him from approaching._

_Though the unease still remained, she couldn't quite stop the spark of interest and excitement that had slowly manifested themselves from the multiple times the two brushed past each other. The potential danger used to be a deterrent for her, though now, after the phase of fearing the unexpected had passed, it was something to be intrigued by._

_She's seen what every natural disaster within the cyberworld had to offer, but she's still yet to see what the Black Shadow- chaos and destruction manifested into the form of a Navi- could do._

_The Blue Myth expected violence and fury of sorts, the kind of rage and anger capable of splitting the ground in half. The soft brush of the other's thumb against her lips was not something she had been expecting._

" _Finally decided to stop running, I see."_

_She blinked, meeting the others red eyes. "What are you doing?"_

" _Answering your call."_

_Holding the sides of her face, the Black Shadow kissed her, the sudden absurdity of it startling the Blue Myth. "You followed me." She accused him._

" _Only because you call out to me so prettily."_

_A hand cupped her breast, the action rougher now, the Blue Myth gasping, glaring at the other slightly as the hand squeezed. She placed her own hand on his wrist. "Let go."_

" _You could always run, if you wanted to." She drew a sharp breath, eyes fluttering close as the other leaned down. He'd bitten her throat, lightly, but his actions otherwise unrestrictive. "You've never had a problem with it."_

_Indeed. Driven by fear and caution, the Blue Myth could effortlessly put miles and miles of distance between the two of them, and the Black Shadow wouldn't be able to keep up with her. But now that those feelings had faded, she instead found herself rooted to where she was by curiosity and anticipation as the Black Shadow's advances grew more aggressive, his hand sliding lower to-_

Rockman slammed the datapad onto the ground, his face a bright shade of red as he covered it with both hands. He'd found the darn thing just laying around somewhere in the Undernet. Someone had most likely dropped it by accident, and looking at the cover, Rockman didn't really think much about it. He had expected that it would be weird to read about how others saw him and Forte, but the more he read into it…

He bit his lip, resisting the urge to scream. It was a good thing he'd stopped reading when he did-  _Gosh darn it that was so embarrassing…!_

"Wait, I wasn't done reading that yet."

Rockman couldn't quite stop the startled shriek that left him this time. "F-Forte?! When did you…?" He didn't know the other had been behind him!

"Slightly before you were about to get to the good part." Forte gave him a look. "Turn it back on, Mega. I want to finish it."

"No you're not!" Rockman was absolutely flustered at this point. "Why would you want to read something like that?" There was a short paused. "Why would anyone write something like that?"

Forte shrugged. "It's not the first time I've stumbled across these things. There's a huge market for sex in the Undernet, so you'd expect the same amount of supply."

"But… But why would they…?" Rockman trailed off, unable to finish his sentence, but Forte seemed to have guessed what he was trying to convey.

"It's not just you specifically." The dark Navi thought for a moment. "Both renown and infamous people get their fair share of it."

Rockman fell quiet as he thought over the implications of that- Did that mean that there might have been works on him of these nature in his original timeline that he hadn't been aware of?!

"...Just don't think about it too much." Sensing his embarrassment and finally deciding to take pity on him, Forte brought the smaller Navi close to him. "I know it may seem weird to you, but most people can tell the difference between their fancies and reality."

"Y-yeah. I know. It's just… a bit too sudden for me, you know?" The blue Navi looked away slightly, attempting to calm himself. Then, he realized something. "Wait. What do you mean it's not the first time you've come across something like this? Don't tell me you've…"

"Of course not." Forte cut him off, kissing him in a reassuring manner. "I very much prefer the real thing."

Then, before Rockman could protest, he found that the dark Navi had pushed him over, leaning over him as he yanked the blue Navi's cloak off, the smaller Navi making a startled cry as his skinsuit was torn off. "For- Forte…! Hn…!"

He tensed when he felt Forte pressed himself against his slit, his eyes wide as he abruptly realized that he was already wet down there. There was a slight pause, before Forte took it as an opportunity to tease him. "I must be doing a terrible job as a mate if you've had to resort to reading those sorts of things for pleasure, Mega."

" _Forte!_ "

The dark Navi gave a small chuckle. His mate was still so chaste, so easily embarrassed by the smallest of things. "Alright, alright. I'll stop teasing you."

"Nh!" Rockman's body jerked slightly as Forte pushed himself in easily, the tip of his length bumping against his inner opening. He shuddered as his insides were stretched, clutching around the larger Navi comfortably.  _'Was this what ended up happening in that work…?'_

Rockman blinked, catching himself. Why did he…?

"Ah! Nh-hhn…!" He cried out as Forte thrusted into him again, shivering when the dark Navi bit the base of his neck.

"I've got you." Rockman whimpered, clutching the Navi above him tighter as the other sped up in pace, each inward push forcing a harsh shudder as that inner opening was repeatedly stimulated. Grabbing the smaller Navi's hips and pulling him closer against him, Forte licked the place where he'd just bitten him. "You're not going anywhere. You're mine."

_The Blue Myth sobbed, her body was not her own; completely overwhelmed by the terrible, unadulterated pleasure, she could never have known that the single moment of curiosity would lead to such an outcome-_

Rockman's own orgasm was unexpected, the blue Navi keening loudly as his body clutched, encouraging the other Navi to force himself into him further. It was only when he felt the familiar warmth pooling deeply inside of him that the blue Navi slowly began to regain himself, both confused and embarrassed by what had just occurred.

He had just climaxed while thinking about what might have happened in that datapad he'd just tossed aside.

He buried his head into Forte's chest as he allowed the larger Navi to hold him. It was fortunate that the other could only read his emotions and not his thoughts- He didn't think Forte would ever let him live it down if he'd knew what just happened.


	112. Chapter 94 (Subdegree cruise)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Alright guys, so I wanna do something special for the 100th chapter for LGOTN, so leave your LGOTN headcannons either by commenting or reviewing, and I'll draw the ones I like and put them on both my tumblr and amino. Y'all have until chapter 100 then submissions are closed off.

"This is awesome!"

Hub quickly joined his sibling at the edge of the deck. The entire class had the upper deck to themselves, and were currently peering in all sorts of direction in awe and wonder. It wasn't often that any of them got to see the ocean all around them, and even Yaito, who regularly went on world cruises, appeared to be enjoying herself. "Yeah…"

"Hm?" Hub's tone had caught Netto's attention. "Is… Is something wrong?"

"A-ah. Nothing's wrong." Hub was startled by his younger sibling's question, before he quickly caught himself. He smiled at the other boy.

Netto gave him a look. "...If you think that there's something up, then just say so, Nii-san."

"What? No, nothing's wrong." The elder Hikari attempted to deny that he'd be worried that something wasn't quite right with this entire thing. It had just happened too sudden, and Hub still had trouble believing that it was really as simple as customer testing, but he didn't want to bother his younger sibling with it. He wanted Netto to enjoy the cruise, and if it turned out he'd been wrong and had over-thought the whole thing, then he would have ruined the younger Hikari's experience for him.

"You're a terrible liar, Nii-san." Netto stuck his tongue out, teasing the elder of the two. Hub didn't lie very often, and perhaps that was why when he did, it was very easy for the younger Hikari to tell that he was hiding something.

"..." Realizing that he'd been figured out, Hub sighed, relenting. "Sorry… I was just, thinking about this whole cruise thing."

Netto tilted his head. "What about it?"

"Well, it's just that… I can't help but feel like it's all so suspicious." Hub frowned, slumping against the railing. "It's just… Why could Guass Inc. suddenly invest in first-class cruises? Their company hasn't invested in anything that's even remotely related to leisure or entertainment before. Besides, of all the schools in Electopia, why would they choose our class specifically? And with such short notice?" He gradually trailed off when he caught himself rambling. "Sorry. Maybe I'm just overthinking this whole thing. Maybe we just happened to get real lucky."

"No, that's not it." The younger of the two was muling over his words. "When you put it that way, then yeah. This all seems so fishy."

"...Sorry." Hub said as he regarded his younger sibling carefully. "I didn't mean to ruin the entire trip for you."

"What're you talking about, Nii-san?" Netto raised an eyebrow. "I just said that it sounds fishy- That doesn't mean that the cruise is just a giant conspiracy and something bad's actually going to happen." At that, he shrugged. "And if it is, then so what?"

Hub's tone grew stern. "I'm just worried that people might get hurt. What if it was Gospel?"

"So?" Netto's continued lack of concern was confusing to Hub, until the younger boy continued. "If Gospel appears again, we'll beat them down, no problem!" At this, the younger of the two did a fist-pump. "We've practised so much to control our Style Changes, after all! If Gospel does appear, we'll beat them using this power!"

"Netto-kun…" Hub still wasn't entirely convinced. While it was true that the two of them had gotten a lot better with achieving Perfect Synchro and Style Change with their Navies, those instances were too few and far inbetween for his liking. The elder Hikari was't completely sold on the idea that they would be able to make use of their newfound power whenever they wanted.

"Hey, don't act so worried! If worse comes to worse, we still got each other, right?" Netto grinned. "Besides! Nothing bad's happened yet! So there's no use acting all concerned over it. We should just enjoy the the trip while we can!"

"...!" Hub had fallen quiet at his younger sibling's words- He was always surprised by how positive and optimistic the other boy could be. Besides, Netto was right- He had no proof that the cruise was a trick of sorts, and there was no use worrying about something that might not even be true. "...You're right. Sorry, I just can't help but worry and overthink things, huh?"

"It's alright!" The younger Hikari beamed. "You won't be Nii-san if you don't worry over everything."

"..."

"Netto! Hub!"

The two twins looked up. Maylu was waving at them from the other side of the deck."

"Come here, quick! I think I just saw dolphins in the water!"

* * *

Rockman carefully peered over the corner, making sure that no one was there before he rounded it and made his way into the main control systems on the cruise ship. He and Shadowman had slipped onto the ship computer systems through the net just as it was leaving the dock, and the blue Navi remained hopeful that the two of them will remain unnoticed for a while longer. He had told Shadowman to follow the two Hikari twins through the cyberworld to make sure nothing happened to them while he went to deal with Gospel- To him, there was no thing as being too safe when it came to those two boys.

A quick but throughout scour through the main control systems found the place empty, devoid of activity of any sort save for the basic programmes keeping the ship functioning. Rockman frowned. If he had remembered correctly, this was the same place that he and Blues had been when the two of them confronted the Gospel Navies. It would also made sense that they would mess with the controls on the ship from here if they were planning on doing the exact same thing that they'd done in his original timeline, but the entire area was strangely empty.

Was Gospel planning something completely different this time around? Rockman shook his head, quickly dismissing the thought. From what he'd learnt from Forte, he didn't see a reason to believe otherwise. Gospel planned on putting everyone on board in danger in order to lure Netto and Hub out, and have their multi-bug organism absorb the power of their Style Changes during battle. It was what had happened when he had been the one to gain the ability to Style Change, and if Gospel was also after the same thing this time, this was Rockman's best guess at what was about to happen.

Despite the circumstances, Rockman found himself smiling softly as he remembered all the previous times Forte had offered his advice and opinions on things. The blue Navi briefly wished that the other Navi was here to give him his own take on this- Up till this point in time, the blue Navi had been abusing his own knowledge of past events to plan for what he suspected was about to happen, but now that he'd find the situation to be different from what he had originally experiences, the blue Navi suddenly found himself at a loss.  _'Forte would have probably figured out what was happening by now.'_

Well, it can't be helped. Gospel would definitely suspect something if they found the both of them appearing at once. He would just have to figure things out on his own for now.

"My, my. Look at what we have here."

Fear and panic spiked within him. Rockman whipped around, his hand forming into a buster as he aimed at the source of the voice.

"It's you…!" The blue Navi narrowed his eyes. There was no way he would forget the culprit responsible for freezing the entire Mettaur Village.

"You've come. Just on time, as we've expected." The ice Navi smirked, his voice hiding his intent. "Now, the show can begin."

"What're you-" Confused and unnerved, Rockman was about to ask what Freezeman had meant, before the blue Navi realized something was amiss. He had found himself rooted, unable to move when he attempted to walk forward, and a quick glance down told him why- Somehow, during their short conversation, ice had sprouted out from the floor he was standing on, encasing his feet and lower legs, trapping him where he stood.

"!"

"Everything is going according to plan." If Freezeman was pleased or amused by his predicament, he was doing a good job hiding it. "Now, begins the next step of our plan…"

With a snap of his fingers, several more pillars of ice shot out from the ground, surrounding the blue Navi instantly.


	113. Chapter 95

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Still got around five days to submit your LGOTN Headcanons. I'm also interested in what everyone thinks might have happened behind the scenes, so feel free to leave a comment or review telling what you think might have happened that wasn't mentioned in this fic.

"Achoo!"

"Are you alright?" Hub looked at Maylu, his tone worried. The girl was shivering.

"I'm- I'm alright." Maylu sniffed. "I'm just feeling a bit cold all of a sudden…"

"Probably should've brought a jacket, or something." Netto remained unconcerned as he looked out towards the sea.

His aloofness had clearly angered Maylu."How can you say that?"

"This has nothing to do with what you're wearing, Netto-kun!" From his PET, Rockman X had spoken up as well. "Didn't you notice that it's gotten a lot colder suddenly?"

"What?" Confused, Netto took out his PET. "What do you mean?"

"The temperature on the cruise it dropping rapidly!" This time, it was Rockman Zero. The red Navi's look concern as Hub took out his PET. "Five… Two… Negative Three…" There was a brief flash of realization and fear in the red Navi's eyes. "At this rate, everyone on board will freeze to death…!"

Just then, there was a loud cry and a commention behind them. The three of them turned to see what had happened.

"Yaito-chan!" Tohru had caught the girl just as she fell. "It's no good! She's passed out from the cold!"

"What?" The younger Hikari seemed to have finally realized the severity of the situation. He looked at his elder sibling, the two of them realizing that the thing they've feared had happened.

The entire thing was a set up.

"Tohru, you look after Yaito. Netto and I will plug Zero and X into the systems to see what's happened." Then, he turned to their two other friends, Maylu and Dekao. "See if you can find any crew on board. If worse comes to worse, we might need get off the cruise through any emergency boats on board."

"Leave it to us!" Dekao's reply was confident. "You two better figure out what's happened in the systems!"

"Alright!" Netto was already jumping at the action. "Come on, Nii-san! Let's go!"

With that, the two Hikari twins quickly headed below deck- The temperature there was worse than that on deck, and the both of them could feel the coldness becoming more and more overwhelming with every passing moment.

"Over here!" Noticing a place where they could plug in, Hub gestured for his younger sibling's attention. "We can plug in from here and-" The elder Hikari had the plug-in cable of his PET in his hands, and was about half-way into plugging his NetNavi into the ship's systems when other hand had attempting to plug into the same socket he had. Baffled and alarmed, Hub looked up, and was further surprised by the person he saw.

"It's you!" Both Hub and Enzan exclaimed at the same time.

"Enzan?" Having just caught up to his sibling, Netto was confused by the white-haired boy's sudden appearance. "What're you doing here?"

"I should be the one asking that question!" Enzan frowned, before he paused, as if realizing something. "Don't tell me- You're that class that Gospel has chosen to go on their cruise?"

"Gospel?" Netto had ignored Enzan's question at large. The annoyance of the elder boy was not lost on Hub. "So they're really behind this whole thing!"

"Guys, please!" Having witnessed his younger sibling and the white-haired boy interact several times in the past, Hub quickly interjected before the two of them could get into another argument. "The temperature's still dropping! If we don't hurry, then everyone on board is in danger!"

"..Fine." Though displeased, the white haired boy couldn't argue with Hub on that. He turned back to the matter at hand. "Plug in-"

"Rockman X!"

"Rockman Zero!"

"Blues!"

"Transmission!"

The three Navies had logged into the ship's system in a bright flash of light. Almost instantly, they noticed that something wasn't quite right within the cyberworld as well.

"Netto-kun!" X exclaimed. "The cyberworld inside the ship's computer system is completely frozen over as well!"

"So that's why the temperature has been dropping on board!" Netto frowned. "We have to find whoever's responsible and return the systems back to normal- Quick!"

"That will not be necessary."

Startled by the sudden voice, all three Navies looked up. There was a fourth Navi, standing on the platform just slightly above them. X didn't hesitate to take aim at the Navi. "Who're you?"

"I am Freezeman." The Navi made out of ice stated, his look calculating and managing. "We of Gospel have been highly anticipating your arrival, X and Zero."

"That's what you think." Blues scowled, perhaps displeased by having his presence being completely ignored by the Gospel Navi. "You have nowhere to run. Surrender now."

"Whoever said anything about running?" At this, Freezeman looked to the side. Confused by the action, the other three Navies followed his gaze.

"M-Mega?" X gasped. He couldn't believe his eyes. Just besides Freezeman was the form of a familiar cloaked Navi, completely frozen and unmoving, encased in ice.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" Freezeman's tone was unreadable. "I found her wandering around the main systems just moments prior." The Gospel Navi turned back towards X and Zero, regarding the two Navies carefully as he continued. "If it were me, I would be honored to have garnered the interest of such a myth, but alas, I cannot allow her to interfere with our… meeting."

Zero and Blues had fallen quiet, while X's aim had faltered slightly. The Navi's buster arm was shaking.  _'Damn it, they aren't going to use Mega as a hostage, are they…?'_

As if sensing his thoughts, Freezeman laughed. "Worry not. I did say that this meeting is between you and Gospel, didn't I?"

As Freezeman raised his hand, four separate beams of light shot down into the area around them, the figures of several familiar NetNavies making themselves known.

"For someone who's saved the world once, you sure are a bit  _slow_ , aren't you?" Crossing his arms, Quickman taunted the three NetNavies.

"You and I still have unfinished business!" Summoning two rolling cutters, Cutman tossed and caught one of them in his hand in anticipation. "I'm gonna cut you up and make paper dolls out of you!"

"You were lucky I had direct orders from the princess to withdraw from battle." Knightman raised the ball and chain attached to one of his arms, spinning it around several times before letting it fall onto the ground with a loud crash. "This time, you shall perish for sure."

"You're all trapped like rats in a maze!" Magnetman smirked, a ball of magnetic energy already forming in his hands. "We'll tear all three of you apart!"

Alarmed by the sudden turn of events, X, Zero and Blues took a step back, the latter of the two summoning their swords, turning to face the other Gospel Navies who had suddenly appeared. They weren't expecting so many reinforcements…!

"We will not allow anyone to take Gospel lightly!" Freezeman proclaimed as he stepped forward, pillars of ice forming around him with every step he took. "This place shall be your icy grave!"

With that, the five Gospel Navies descended upon them all at once.


	114. Chapter 96

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Oh my god so many people want Freezeman dead wow. I guess I did something right if people care so much about the events in the story? Anyways, a lot of people have a lot of great headcanons of what might have happened behind the scenes of LGOTN, and I can't wait to draw them out! There's no limit as to how many headcanons you can submit, so be sure to get them all out before the 100th chapter! Anyways, on with the story!

"Damn it!" Zero just barely avoided one of Cutman's Rolling Cutters. He had been a bit preoccupied with avoiding the spiked ball Knightman was hurdling at him. "We've been had! The entire thing was a trap!"

"Tch! It's Gospel. What did you expect?" With a swing of his sword, Blues had deflected the boomerang Quickman threw his way. Somehow, the Net Police Officer still found the time to taunt them briefly. "If you're not cut out for this, you can always plug out."

"As if!" Aiming his buster, X shot an icicle headed towards him to pieces, while ducking under another ice block. "We're not going to just leave you here to fend for yourself!"

"That's not what I meant!" Blues snapped back, another swipe of his sword cutting a bunch of paper-viruses in half. "I can handle this by myself!"

"I agree with X." Zero had promptly ignored him as well. "As we stand, we have the best chance of defeating Gospel if we all work together."

"Hey!" Blues scowled. "Stop ignoring me!"

Finally, X, Zero and Blues stood in a circle, the three Navies having been backed up into a corner by the continued onslaught of the Gospel Navies.

"We have to do something to break through their attacks." Netto frowned, turning to Hub silently asking for his advice.

"The best option now would be for us to combine our Programme Advances." Hub said, taking out a series of Battle Chips. "You and X can blast through their initial attacks with your Programme Advance, and then Enzan and I can finish the rest of the Gospel Navies off with Zero and Blue's Programme Advance!"

"Sounds like a plan!" Netto grinned. "Alright! Let's do it!"

"Hey!" Enzan was just as annoyed as his NetNavi that he'd been completely disregarded by the two Hikari twins. "I never agreed to that!"

"Enzan, please?" Hub finally turned to the elder boy, clasping his hands together in mock-begging manner. "There's still people on board! They'll all freeze to death if we don't defeat Gospel soon!"

"..." The white-haired boy narrowed his eyes. Hub's half-mocking manner hadn't gone over his head, but he couldn't argue with him on the fact that there were indeed perhaps a dozen other children on board the ship, and the temperature was still dropping while all this was going on. "Fine. Let's just get this done and over with."

Hub couldn't suppress a laugh at the glare the other boy gave him. "Thankyou, Enzan- You're the best!" Then, he turned back to his younger sibling, the two of them nodding unanimously. "Alright, let's do this!"

The three NetNavies still facing the Gospel Navies were all caught up on their plan, Zero and Blues quickly stepping back, giving X a clean shot as another barrage of attackers were sent their way.

"Nowhere to run now!" Quickman cackled, throwing another boomerang at the three of them just as the other Gospel Navies unleashed their combined attacks. "You're finished!"

"We'll see about that!" Brining both his hands together, X's arms formed into a giant canon as he received the Battle Chip data from his operator. He took aim, and fired. "Zeta Canon!"

In a bright flash of light and a loud explosion, the energy blast from X's Zeta Canon collided against the Gospel Navies' attack, the two opposing forces cancel each other out, sending dust and smoke everywhere.

"What?" Cutman was startled. Unable to see past the thick layer of smoke, he called back his paper viruses for the moment. "What's the meaning of this?"

"Perhaps it is a defensive tactic." Knightman didn't seem concerned. "Worry not. If they withdraw, they will surely perish on this ship. They will not be escaping."

"Hm?" Magnetman seemed to have realized something was wrong. "Wait a minute, fall back-"

Just at that moment, a bright flash of light shone through the dust cloud, and Blues leapt out of the haze, a sword made out of crackling energy in his hands as he dashed towards the three Gospel Navies. "Beta Sword!"

In a flash, the red Navi swung his sword. His counter attack catching the three off them off guard, and the power of his Programme Advance tore through the three Gospel Navies with ease. Having been the only one to notice his retalization beforehand, Magnetman barely managed to dodge out of the way, avoiding the brunt of Blues' attack as he fell back to join Freezeman and Quickman.

"Tch!" Expecting Zero to move onto them, Quickman reacted, intercepting Blues with a boomerang and cutting him off before he could advance on them. "You're smart, I'll give you that! But don't think-"

The red and gold Navi trailed off when Blues suddenly ducked to the side, avoiding the three remaining Gospel Navies entirely. He was baffled, until a second attack, this time coming from behind, tore through the rest of the Gospel Navies.

"Don't count me out just yet." Zero said to the fallen Navies just as his own Beta Sword disappeared into thin air. "We don't give up that easily."

"We did it!" Netto grinned. "With their Navies defeated, the temperature should return to normal now, right?"

"It should." Hub nodded. He turned to Enzan, about to say something, when he saw the elder boy running down the hallway. "...Eh? Enzan! Where are you going?"

"That's none of your concern!" The white-haired boy yelled back. "Get your classmates out of here! I'm still on official Net Police duty!"

"What do you think it could be?" Netto whispered to his elder sibling quietly as they watched Enzan disappear from sight as he rounded a corner.

"I don't know… Unless…?" Hub appeared to come to a sudden conclusion. He sprang into action, running after where he saw Enzan disappear to.

"Nii-san!" Netto quickly caught up to him, but the younger Hikari was still very much confused. "What's happening? Where're we going?"

"Enzan says he's here on Net Police duty… And he's left so suddenly as well..." Hub reasoned, attempting to get his point across as quickly as possible. "I think he might know the location of the Gospel member responsible for the attack, and he's trying to catch him before they get away…!"

* * *

Inside the dark bridge, a young boy was sitting on his lonesome.

"...Even with how closely I've been keeping track of those two, they still manage to surprise me at every turn…" The boy murmured to himself. "Hmph. What to do, what to do…"

Looking at the illuminated screen before him, the boy considered his options. "...I suppose I have no choice but to use  _it_ , now…"

Just then, the door of the bridge was flung open, and light flooded into the room. "Stay where you are!"

Slowly, the boy turned around, meeting Enzan's glare. Briefly, Enzan was surprised by the other's appearance, but he quickly recovered. "You're one of Gospel's, aren't you? There's nowhere to run. You're under arrest."

"Hm." The boy didn't seem concerned in the least."Ah. A Net Police Officer." He smiled mysteriously. "You see, mister officer, I don't believe I am."

"What?" Enzan scowled, taking a step forward. "What do you mean-"

Just as he took his second step, the other boy pressed a button on the control panel before him, and an electric field crackled to life.


	115. Chapter 97

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So people have come up with both happy, slice-of-life headcanons, but also some that have taken a more serious tone to it. I love them both, and now that we're at chapter 97, you still have several days to submit your headcanons! I've already have an idea what which to draw, and it might take several days with the sudden spike in workload in preparation for school, but I'll make sure to draw as much of the headcanons you submitted as possible!

The two Hikari twins were just nearing the end of the hallway when they heard a loud scream. Both boys recognized the voice instantly. As they flung the door to the bridge wide open, the two of them expected the worse, but they still weren't quite prepared to see the white-haired boy lying on the floor, his eyes wide, gasping and wheezing as his body spasmed.

"Enzan!" Netto was the first to react. Seeing the elder boy on the ground in pain, his first instinct was to go over and attempt to help the other, but Hub had grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Netto-kun, don't!" It was clear that Hub has realized that something was amiss. "Step back! Or you'll-"

A field of electricity flared to life before them, the elder Hikari just barely managing to yank his younger sibling back out of the radius of the field as wild electricity shocked the area in front of them. Enzan was not so lucky, and the boy let out another scream as he was electrocuted once more.

"Shit!" Netto cursed as he watched the whole thing play out. Hub would've normally brerated his younger sibling for swearing, but given the circumstances, the elder of the two couldn't say he blamed him.

"Hm. How peculiar." The new voice startled both of the Hikari twins, neither of them recognizing it. "So, you're smarter than you seem."

Looking up, Hub gasped as he saw the person speaking to them. The voice had come from another boy who couldn't have been any older than them.

"You're…" Though Netto didn't seem to have made the connection his elder sibling had, he was still very much concerned by the newcomer's appearance.

In response, the boy merely smiled at the two of them mysteriously. "Hello, Hub Hikari and Netto Hikari. I've been waiting for you."

"You know who we are?" Netto asked, the surprised but distrust apparent in his voice.

"Of course I do. I've been keeping track tabs on the both of you, ever since you've defeated WWW." There was a momentary pause, as the boy seemed to recall something. "Oh! Where are my manners? You must be confused as to who I am." One hand still holding his laptop, the other extending towards the Hikari twins in mock-greeting, the boy continued. "It's very nice to meet you. I'm Sean, the leader and ringmaster of the terrorist organization Gospel."

"What?!" Netto couldn't suppress his shock and disbelief at Sean's words, and Hub placed his hand on his younger sibling's shoulder- A silent gesture to remind him to stay calm.

"So you're the one responsible for nearly freezing everyone on board?" Hub asked, just to make sure.

Sean nodded, still smiling. "That's me, alright!" He gave the two twins a wink. "I just thought the cruise was getting a bit too boring, so I had Freezeman put the entire ship on ice just to spice things up a bit."

"Are you kidding me? That was awful! People could have frozen to death!" Netto felt a sudden spike of anger. "And let Enzan go! What you're doing to him is wrong!"

"Hmm…" Sean pretended as if he was pondering over something particularly troubling. "Well, if you're so adamant about it, then sure. But, well…" The boy smirked. "I'm afraid I'm going to need something from you in return."

"And what would that be?" Hub asked, remaining cautious.

"Oh, not much." Sean tapped his chin as he spoke. "I'll just be needing the Style Change programmes of both of your NetNavies."

Hub frowned. Even if they wanted to, he didn't think that could be done- They were still mostly clueless on how the programme worked, and he didn't think they could locate and separate the data from their NetNavies for the trade.

Netto was very much in agreement with Hub's decision, but for an entirely different reason. "As if we'll do that! If we give you the programme, you'll just turn around and use it to hurt other people! There's no way we'll let you do that!"

"Oh?" Sean made an expression of exaggerated sadness. "And here I was thinking you'd be open to reason. I guess I was wrong." Sighing, the boy shook his head. "As much as I hate it, I suppose I'll just have to take it by force."

"Netto-kun!" As Sean pressed several keys on his laptop, Rockman X spoke out from his PET. "Something not right!"

"What is it?" Netto asked, slightly worried.

"The data of all of the deleted Gospel NetNavies…" X looked around as he watched the pieces of broken data flow past him. "They seem to be forming together, gathering towards a central point…"

"Heh…" X looked down, noticing Freezeman still lying on the floor, half on his body missing with bits of damaged data flowing out from his frame. "You think that… just because you've defeated us, that it's all over?"

"What?" Zero was growing worried as well. "What do you mean?"

"The battle is just beginning…" As the rest of his frame disappeared, Freezeman gave a breathless laugh. "Soon, you'll realize the true power of Gospel…"

With that, the remaining data joined the swirling vortex of remaining data of the Gospel Navies, something large and wicked twisting and manifesting itself from the fallen NetNavies.

Blues seemed to be coming to the realization of what was happening. "Something's forming from that data!"

Then, the entire area was engulfed in a bright light, blinding the three NetNavies temporarily. When they recovered, the large form of a four legged beast now stood over them, growling menacingly.

"Wh-what?" X took a step back in fear and terror. "What  _is_  that thing?!"

"Do you like it?" Sean was beaming with pride. "I made it myself- It's a beast completely made out of spare data and bugs- In short, it's a multi-bug organism."

Both the Hikari twins were in shock as they looked at the beast. It wasn't something they've ever seen before.

"Now then…" Pressing another key on his laptop, Sean spoke, this time in a serious manner. "Gospel. Go bring me the Style Change data from those two NetNavies."

The beast snapped its head towards X and Zero, snarling with instinctual and primal rage. Seeing this, the two red and blues Navies turned on their heels and ran, but the beast Gospel opened its large maw. Letting out an ear-piercing roar, the multi-bug organism leapt at the two NetNavies, its sharp, gleaming teeth closing in around X and Zero as it threw itself towards the two of them. Both Navies screamed just as the beast closed its jaw, threatening to swallow them whole.


	116. Chapter 98

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So, I've made a test copy of the Yokai Scandal doujinshi. If all things go well, I should be able to put them on pre-order tomorrow. The reason why I'm doing pre-order is because I want to get the sense of how many people are planning to buy it before printing them, so I don't over or under print copies. I've also began drawing some of the headcanons you all have sent my way- They're all really interesting, and I can't wait to share them all with you! Remember, there's no limit as to how many you can submit, and you still have until next chapter to send in your headcanons- Once I've uploaded chapter 100, all submissions will be cut off.

X closed his eyes as he watched the sharp fangs close in around him, fully expecting to be torn to shreds by the large beast when he felt a sudden force push him from the side. He landed on the ground with a yelp, Zero stumbling down just besides him, Gospel's attack just barely missing the two of them by inches. Scrambling to his feet, X immediately turned back to see what or who had pushed the two of them out of the way, and what he saw stunned him.

"B-Blues!?"

The blue Navi stood there, petrified as he saw the other Navi laying before them with both his legs missing. It was clear that, upon seeing the multi-bug organism charge at them, the red Navi had dashed forward and shoved them aside, but by doing so, he himself had been caught in the direct line of Gospel's attack, the beast nearly taking his lower body in one fell swoop.

Seeing the look on X's face, Blues scowled. "Tch… I didn't do it to save you…" The Navi somehow managed to grit out, despite the extent of his injuries. "...But… as it stands now… You two have the greatest probability of defeating that thing…"

X's look immediately turned solem. He understood what Blues meant. With Enzan's current condition, there was no way that the white-haired boy could continue operating him, which would mean that Blue's abilities have been greatly limited. But to risk being deleted to save the two of them…

"Hmph. You two best not let me down." Blues told him. Then, in a quieter tone, he said, "...I'm counting on the two of you." With that, Blues had plugged out of the system to recover in his PET and avoid being deleted from extensive damage.

"..." Both X and Zero were still very much troubled by the recent turn of events, and it wasn't until Gospel had let out a low growl behind them that the two Navies snapped back into awareness.

"Oh. Now that's what I call a plot twist!" Sean said with exaggerated shock. "Well, not matter. This time, Gospel won't miss."

With another press of a key on his laptop, Gospel responded to the boy's command. Opening its jaw slightly, crackles of raw energy began to form in his mouth. It was charging up for another attack.

Turning to face the beast, the two red and blue Navies appeared to have some sort of renewed determination about them, Blue's sacrifice sparking some sort of newfound courage within them.

"We're not going to run anymore." X said as he looked upon the monstrosity, its glare fixated on them.

"We won't let you get your way." Zero resonated with X's words. "Together, we'll defeat you."

If Sean was surprised by the sudden change in attitude, he didn't show it. "...Fools, the both of you." With a grin, the boy pressed another key on his laptop, sending another command to the multi-bug organism. "Fine. I'll just rip the Style Change programme from your frames after I delete you!"

With a roar, Gospel unleashed a beam of energy directly from its mouth towards X and Zero, but the two Navies stood their ground.

"I don't know why you want power that much…" Netto began, regarding Sean carefully. "But-"

"To hurt other people just to become more powerful…" Hub narrowed his eyes, the two Hikari twins sharing the same thought. "There's no way we would allow it…!"

Just as Gospel's blast was about to make contact, a flash of light engulfed the area. It was quickly followed by a loud shriek as Gospel was knocked backwards- something had collided with the multi-bug organism to send it stumbling backwards.

"...Hm?" Sean starred as the screen of his laptop, attempting to figure out what was wrong, before realizing what had just happened. A winged figure was hovering just above Gospel, and a closer look told him that the Navi was undoubtedly Zero- Now in his Absolute form.

Hub was startled as well.  _'So this is Style Change…?'_

He felt a sudden wave of surprise.  _'...Hub-san. Is that you?'_

The boy blinked.  _'Zero?'_

' _...So, it's true.'_  Hub could feel the sense of wonder coming from his NetNavi.  _'Perfect syncro allows us to share even our thoughts.'_

Recovering from his retaliation, Gospel snarled in rage. Directing his attention at the now Style Changed NetNavi, the large breast opened it jaw, attempting to take a bit out of the winged NetNavi, but this time it was interrupted by a barrage of energy blasts, forcing the beast to back off once more.

From the dust and smoke, the figure of another Navi emerged. This time, it was X, the Navi's now pale armour showing that he was currently in his ultimate form.

"So this is Style Change?" Netto was beaming. "This is awesome!"

Despite himself, X smiled, giving a short nod in agreement. Aiming his canon at the large beast, X fired several more shots at Gospel, the beast snarling in rage at the continued onslaught of attacks.

"They've fully mastered Style Change…?" Sean murmured to himself, clearly not expecting it. "...It matters not. Gospel! Delete the both of them!"

As soon as he said it, Gospel flung itself at the two NetNavies, its claws and fangs gleaming with intend to tear the two of them apart.

"Hey, Nii-san." Netto turned to his elder sibling, strangely calm giving the circumstances. "What do you think would happen if we used our Programme Advances while we've Style Changed?"

"I don't know." Hub smiled back. "Let's find out."

As the multi-bug organism was upon them once more, both X and Zero braced themselves for the final attack, X bring his two hands together, forming it into a large canon, just as Zero raised both his arms, a wild, untamed energy manifesting within his grasp.

"Zeta Canon!"

"Beta Sword!"

All at once, both Navies unleashed their strongest attacks against the beast, the strength of their Programme Advanced magnified by tenfold with their Style Changes, the combine force of their attacks tearing into Gospel, and both could hear its loud shriek in pain as the beast was torn apart despite its massive size, crumbling into a pile of data and debris as it was blasted backwards, the multi-bug organism imploding on itself.

"N-no! That can't be!" Watching the entire thing play out, Sean screamed. "This is impossi-"

Just then, several display screens within the bridge exploded from the discharge energy released from their fight. With a cry, Sean ducked out of the way to avoid being caught in the blast radius of the display panels, and Netto and Hub were just quick enough to pull Enzan out of the way just as the sudden series of explosions caused the structure of the bridge to become unstable, and random pieces of broken beams and metal fell from the ceiling.

Within the cyberworld, X and Zero canceled out of their Style Changes now that the beast had been defeated and the threat gone. The two Navies turned to each other.

"Zero- that was…!"

"We did it, X!" Zero was grinning from ear to ear. "We've finally mastered Style Change!"

It was difficult not to share the same feeling of pride and excitement the other Navi felt, and X found himself smiling, before a sudden thought occurred to him.

"W-wait a minute!" X gasped, slapping himself on the face. "Mega! She's still trapped in ice somewhere-"

" _Ah-choo!_ "


	117. Chapter 99

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The doujinshis are now avaliable on storenvy for preorder, and you can find links to it via my tumblr "sfwlgotn". Thanks for everyone for sticking with me through the story, and just a reminder- This is your last chance to send in your headcanons for LGOTN, if you have any! Remember, there's no limit to how many you can submit, and even if I can't do all of them, I'll try to do most of them!

Startled, X and Zero turned to the source of the voice, the two of them seeing the Blue Myth, clutching her cloak tightly around her, while Shadowman was stood next to her.

"Mega! You're alright!" X's tone was relieved. Then, the Navi grew confused. "Wait- How did you get out of the ice…?"

"Oh. Shadowman freed me from the ice." Mega sniffed, before turning to the Shadow Navi and giving him a small smile.

"What?" X blinked, surprised. "When?"

"About the time when you and Zero were fighting with the Gospel Navies." Mega said, before she sneezed again.

X and Zero gave each other a look- Had they been so preoccupied with their battle that they hadn't noticed?

"Wait a second." Zero frowned. "If you've been freed by then, then why didn't you do anything?"

"Zero." X winced. He knew what Zero meant- With the entire class in danger, Enzan being electrocuted and Blues nearly being deleted, he could understand that the other was a bit sour about the Blue Myth not lending them a hand when she had the ability to, but the way he went about saying it… "Come on. Don't be so rude."

Mega sniffed, rubbing her nose briefly. "You're right. I could." She admitted, nodding her head. But then, her tone grew thoughtful. "But in the end, the two of you didn't need my help, did you? You mastered Style Change, and defeated Gospel by yourselves." The Blue Myth smiled at the two of them. "Had I helped… I would've only held the two of you back, wouldn't I?"

"..."

Zero had gone quiet. It was clear that he was still slightly irked by Mega's inaction, but he couldn't really argue with her reasoning, either.

"...Well, regardless of that." X interjected, hoping to change the tense mood between the three NetNavies. "We have your advice to thank for helping us gain control over our Style Changes."

"Don't be. You're still the one to master it, after all." With that, the Blue Myth changed the subject. "...Blues and Enzan. How are they?"

"Enzan's alright." Hub said as he quickly checked up on the white-haired boy. "He's… I think he's passed out, but his breathing and heartbeat is still strong."

"And Blues' recovering in his PET as well." Netto added. "They're gonna be fine."

Mega nodded, appearing relieved, before she turned her attention elsewhere. "And Sean…?"

That caught both Navi and Operator's attention. After the explosion that happened, none of them had saw even a glimpse of the other boy.

Just then, Shadowman spoke. "Mistress- Be careful!"

As soon as he said those words, the ground beneath them shook. The cry of an enraged beast echoing through the area. Looking back, the Navies saw that multi-bug organism dragging itself out from other the pile of debris, its broken body hastily repairing itself as it snarled, looming over them, its eyes gleaming with intent.

"...It's not over yet." In the bridge, Sean limped out from within the dust. The boy was clearly hurt, but somehow, he had yet to give up.

"Wh… What're you doing?" Hub's eyes were wide with disbelief. "You'll seriously injure yourself if you keep on pushing it!"

"I'm going to get the power of Style Change!" Sean promptly ignored Hub's concern. "And none of you are going to stand in my way!"

As if sensing Sean's anger, Gospel roared, X and Zero recoiling in shock slightly.

"You're not going to get anywhere with that!" Netto was now attempting to reason with Sean as well. "You're hurt- That thing's hurt- Just stop it before things can get any worse!"

"You think I'm stupid?" Sean had dropped his playful attitude completely at this point. "Gospel may have been my best creation, but I still have one final trick up my sleeve- An Ace that I've yet to play."

"What?" Despite the damage it sustained, Gospel still maintained its fierce appearance, and X shuddered to think what else Sean had that can be even more terrifying than the multi-bug organism.

"...Everyone. Stand back." This time, it was the Blue Myth who stepped forward towards the beast, and X looked at her both in awe and concern.

"Mega-" X began. "You don't have to. Zero and I can-"

Before he could finish, a wave of discharge energy washed throughout the area, nearly knocking the Navies off of their feet, and a beam of light shot down from the air, the NetNavi landing on Gospel's head as he logged into the ship's computer system.

"Who…?" Zero didn't recognize the newcomer, but from the wave of energy he felt just from the Navi's presence, the red Navi could already tell that this was no ordinary NetNavi.

"Surprised?" The grin finally returned to Sean's face. "Everyone, meet Forte, the Black Shadow."

There was an audible gasp, and Netto turned to his elder sibling. "Nii-san? You know this NetNavi…?"

"...From the rumour's I've heard, the Black Shadow is the most powerful NetNavi in the Undernet." Hub's tone had grown solemn. "He's a ruthless Navi that's deleted thousands, if not tens of thousands of Navies with his own bare hands." At this, the elder Hikari paused. "But how…?"

"It's nothing complicated, really." Sean seemed to have realized what Hub had been implying- Undernet NetNavies tended to hate humans, and would rather be deleted than be associated with one. So how had he been able to acquire the aid of not only an Undernet Navi, but one rumoured to be the most powerful NetNavi within the Undernet? "Since you've already heard about the Black Shadow, then you must have also heard about the other rumours concerning him and the Blue Myth."

"Mega?" Hearing this, X looked at the Blue Myth with worry. Mega was still looking onwards, her gaze focused on the multi-bug organism and the NetNavi on top of it.

"I made a deal." Gesturing to the Blue Myth, Sean continued. "In exchange for his help, I would lure the Blue Myth out for him, so he could delete and obtain her powers."

"!"

X stepped forward, and Zero was quick to follow his lead. "As if! There's no way we would allow that!"

Mega was startled by their reaction, before she cast a quick glance towards the two of them, giving them a reassuring look. "Don't worry. I'll be fine."

Neither of them appear convinced. In fact, the Blue Myth's words only worried X further.  _'She's not seriously planning on taking both Gospel and the Black Shadow on at once, is she…?'_

"I admire your bravery, but the Black Shadow's power is something beyond your comprehension." With that, Sean turned to one of the few display panels still in function. "Now, if you would please…?"

Silently, the dark figure levitated himself into the air. Lifting a hand, a ball of energy quickly began to manifest itself within the Navi's grasp, but the magnitude of its power in the form of discharge energy could be felt both by X and Zero, despite the distance between them- It was just as powerful, if not even more so than when the two of them were in their Style Changes.

"Mega…!" X turned to her when it was clear that the Blue Myth had no intentions of moving. While he'd seen her deflect energy projectiles before, was it even possible to reflect one of this size and magnitude?

"...Insolent fools." As the energy had finally reached its peak, the Black Shadow spoke. "Disappear from my sight!"

With that, the Black Shadow released the full force of his attack, the beam of energy crashing down, blowing Gospel apart in a single strike. Neither the Navies or their operators could have seen it coming.

" _Forte?!_ " Sean screamed in horror. "What are you doing? Have you gone mad?!"

The dark Navi merely glanced at him. "...I don't seem to recall ever stating that I needed your help."

"Wh-what? How…!" The boy took a step back. He was going into shock. Then, another series of explosions rang out through the bridge and the rest of the ship, the excessive amount of energy from the blast overloading the systems, causing them to malfunction and implode within themselves.

* * *

"That was a close one…"

From the lifeboat, Hub watched as the remnants of the cruise slowly begin to sink. After that explosion, the two twins had just barely managed to drag both Enzan and Sean out of the bridge and onto the lifeboat they found- The two of them had been rather hesitant to leave the supposedly Gospel leader behind, despite him being responsible for many of the organization's crimes.

"...What a disaster…" Enzan had just woken up moments ago, but the boy seemed to have already pieced out a somewhat accurate rundown of what had happened.

"I sure didn't expect that Black Shadow Navi to appear and blow everything up like that." Netto said to himself as he looked around, seeing several other lifeboats in the sea. "Hey! I guess everyone's made it safely off board as well!"

"What was that?" Enzan had suddenly grown concerned. "Did you just say the Black Shadow?"

"Yeah…?" The younger Hikari was clearly confused.

"..." With a snort, Enzan looked away. "She truly brings trouble everywhere she goes."

"Come on, Enzan, don't say…" Hub had been about to attempt some sort of reasoning, but as the white-haired boy raised an eyebrow at him, with the form of the sinking, burning ship behind him, the Hikari suddenly found it very hard to continue his argument. "..."

"This is the second time she's attracted the Black Shadow to her now." Enzan's eyes narrowed. "I fear that the next time it happens…"

Neither Netto nor Hub needed him to finish his statement. They both saw the absolutely destructive nature of the Black Shadow's powers. "So it's true that the Black Shadow is hunting the Blue Myth down for her powers?" Hub decided to ask for clarification.

"The Black Shadow is blood-thirsty for power. It's no surprise that he does."

"Then… that's weird." Netto frowned as he recalled something. "If he's really after Mega, then why didn't he attack her? Sean even said he's lured her out- But then he just turned around and attacked Gospel!" The younger Hikari shook his head, unable to make sense of it.

"Hm." Enzan considered his words briefly, before coming to a conclusion. "Perhaps Sean's offer had hurt his pride."

"Eh?" Netto tilted his head. "What? How?"

"Imagine being the strongest Navi in the Undernet. You're so powerful that no one can possible hope to stand in your way, and you know it." Enzan shrugged, casting the still -unconscious Gospel leader a glance. "Now, imagine that some human brat offers to do your job for you. Suggesting that you're so incompetent that you need the help a human child…" At that, the white-haired boy sighed. "I would have been angry, too."

"So that's why he attacked Gospel…" Hub murmured, finding Enzan's explanation reasonable as he thought over it.

"Could you have imagine what would've happened if he  _did_  attack us?" Netto couldn't help but think, and the three boys quickly fell quiet at the implications of that scenario would have meant and thankful that that hadn't been the case.


	118. Chapter 100 (H)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Once again, thanks to everyone who submitted their headcanons for LGOTN! Submissions are now cut off, and the first batch of headcanons can now be found on both my amino (Megaman Amino, under the user name "Rubie Kanary) and my tumblr (sfwlgotn), and the next batch should be out within the next several days! I'm not sure when I'll do something like this in the future, but it's been good to have you all on board for this ride. On with the story.

Rockman sighed as he got to his feet, brushing himself off. While Forte's attack had done its purpose and deleted Gospel in one fell swoop, the blue Navi could tell that the amount of energy put into the attack was nothing if not excessive, the aftershock knocking him off his feet and destroying the majority of the ship's computer systems along with the multi-bug organism. At least he saw the two twins managing to get to safety along with Enzan and Sean, but Rockman was still going to have a word with Forte once he'd got back to the Undernet.

"Mistress." Shadowman helped him up. "We should leave. The ship's infrastructure has been compromised- It won't last above water."

The blue Navi nodded. "You're right. Let's go-" Rockman paused when he heard a light cough. Turning back to the pile of remnants from the multi-bug organism, the blue Navi blinked, growing suspicious. "Shadowman… There can't be anyone under there… Can it?"

The shadow Navi frowned. He was unable to sense any sort of energy signal underneath all that rubble, but he did hear the undoubtable shuffling of rocks and debris somewhere within the pile of broke and damaged data. Then, Shadowman appeared to have come to a realization, and the shadow Navi quickly went over to the pile, grabbing and tossing aside several pieces of debris as he dug through the pile, before an audible, clearer cough was heard, and Shadowman yanked the NetNavi out. Rockman gasped when he recognized the Navi.

"S-Swallowman?" Rockman was surprised, to say the least.

The bird Navi stumbled for a second as he was pulled from the rubble, before he seemed to have caught up to what had happened. Then, he fell to his knees and hugged Shadowman's legs.

"Oh, thank  _fuck!_ " Swallowman exclaimed, holding onto the shadow Navi despite the other's clear annoyance and attempts to dislodge the bird Navi from his legs. "I thought I was done for!"

Despite Shadowman's glare, Rockman couldn't help the short laugh that escape him- The sudden absurdity of the situation catching him off guard. "Swallowman… How did you end up in there, anyways?"

"Hm?" The bird Navi looked up briefly. "Ah… It's a long story- But in short, I got swallowed by this huge thing- Ouch!" Shadowman had finally managed to kick him off. Swallowman rubbed his arm where Shadowman had kicked him. "Sheesh! I know you hate me and all, but there's no need get all violent!"

Shadowman merely snorted. "Serves you right for selling yourself out for Zennies."

"Shadowman, come on." Going over to the two arguing Navies, Rockman offered them a soft smile. "He might have been a mercenary, but he still didn't deserve what Gospel did to him. Besides, he had no obligations to, but he still decided to warn us about Gospel, didn't he?"

Shadowman was unmoved. In contrast, Swallowman looked as if he was about to cry.

"I knew I liked you for a reason." The bird Navi turned to Rockman, his arms outstretched. "You're much better than that asshole over- Oof!"

Just as Swallowman reached for Rockman, Shadowman had kneed him in the gut, sending the bird Navi stumbling backwards, falling onto the ground on his side, and Rockman gasped, startled when he saw Swallowman's wings.

"Swallowman! Your wings…!"

"Huh?" Wincing, Swallowman clutched his abdomen as he looked behind him, his eyes going wide when he saw what was attached to one of his wings.

"AHHHHH! Get it off-  _Get it off!_ "

* * *

"Mega." Rockman located Forte quickly enough once he'd returned back to the Undernet, the dark Navi approaching him before he must have felt the slight shift in the blue Navi's emotions from relief and content to brief annoyance. "...Did something happen?"

"It's not that." Rockman sighed. "It's just… When you deleted Gospel, you didn't have to put so much force behind your attack. Half of the ship got destroyed, and Sean was standing directly in front of the display panel. You could've seriously hurt him."

Forte frowned slightly. "I know how important those two twins are to you, Mega, and I wouldn't intentionally hurt them. But that other boy? Really?"

"I know. He's done a lot of bad things-"

"That's not the main thing I'm concerned with-"

"But he's still just a kid." Rockman continued, wanting to get his point across without being interrupted. Besides, while it may seem that Sean was indeed responsible for all of Gospel's evil doings, there was actually another force behind the scenes that had indoctrinated him into creating the organization to begin with, and if this timeline was anything like his previous one, then there was no doubt in his mind that Enzan and the rest of the Net Police Officers had brought Sean into custody, and would figure this out sooner or later.

Of course, that wasn't something "Mega" was supposed to know, and to Forte, he probably appeared to be too soft and forgiving for his own good. Seeing the look the dark Navi was giving him, it was clear to Rockman that Forte disagreed with what he had said, but didn't feel like it warranted any sort of argument between the two.

"...Anyways, how are Beep and Scuttlest? Has Beep gotten any better?" Rockman asked, changing the subject. He had long since known that it was just better for the two of them to agree to disagree on certain things.

"Your Mettaur's fine. It still looks a bit tired, but it's completely thawed out when I checked on them moments ago." Forte shrugged. "Even your Dream Virus pet seems oddly happy about it."

Rockman couldn't help but smile upon hearing that- If the ice on Beep's body had melted, it was very likely that the same was true of the Mettaur Village. He'd still go over and check on the village and Gateman, but for now, the blue Navi allowed himself a moment of relief.

"...Thanks, Forte." Focusing his attention back to the other Navi, Rockman spoke. "I know you don't really care about anything in the surface net, and you really didn't have to help me… But, I'm thankful and glad that you did." The blue navi beamed at him.

Forte was good at hiding it, but Rockman could still make out the slight hint of pride and smugness the other felt at his words. "It's nothing, Mega."

Slowly, Rockman went over to him, taking Forte's cloak in his hands and he blushed softly. "...Forte."

The dark Navi raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"You… You said…" Rockman looked to the side, lowering his voice as he continued. "You said, you would… With me, after…"

It took Forte a moment to realize what he was referring to, but when he did, the dark Navi merely grinned. "Alright. If you really want it- But you have to do it yourself, alright?"

Rockman gave him a look, before he awkwardly leaned forward, standing on his toes and kissed the other Navi. Forte took the blue Navi's hips in his hands, touching the smaller Navi before he gently began to guide Rockman to sit with both the blue Navi's legs on either side of his waist as the dark Navi laid on his back.

"..." Rockman blushed once he'd gotten the both on them naked, his hands shaking slightly when he placed them on the dark Navi's chest- Forte was giving him a surprising amount of control and leniency this time that he wasn't quite used to, and with this position…

"You've done this before, Mega." Forte was somewhat amused by his indecision. "Just don't think too much about it."

Giving Forte a short glare, Rockman trailed one hand from the other's chest down to his abdomen, before reaching the base of his length, his fingers twitching as he did so.

"Go on." Forte prompted him when Rockman hesitated once more. "Take me in you."

Rockman swallowed, his blush deepening when he positioned himself so that the tip of the other Navi's length was lined up against his opening, feeling the head pushing his soft petals apart as he lowered his hips slightly. "Hn…"

"Ah, that's it." Forte hissed, clearly pleased. "I can feel your tight heat in there already."

Gradually, Rockman took more of the dark Navi's length inside of him, feeling the other's hardness spreading his insides as he sat down lower, his body shuddering in anticipation as he whined. The blue Navi had taken about half of the other in him when Forte suddenly placed both his hands on Rockman's waist, and pulled him downwards.

"Nah!" Rockman let out something in between a gasp and a moan as that soft, inner opening was thrust into, his insides shuddering in joy, producing a thin layer of slick around the larger Navi's length as he was spread apart. "Forte…!"

"Oh. My apologies." Forte looked up at him, grinning. "You were taking too long, and I got impatient."

"Nh, ah… Ahn…" A series of whines and whimpers left Rockman's mouth as Forte began to buck his hips upwards into him, their current position allowing the dark Navi to thrust into him at a completely different angle. Despite his quivering thighs, Rockman attempted to raise and lower his hips to meet Forte's thrusts, his soft walls unwillingly clutching around the dark Navi's length every time the other bottomed out inside on him.

It didn't take long for the blue Navi to begin sobbing from the repeated stimulation as he collapsed onto the larger Navi, winding his arms around Forte's neck as his hips quivered, the other still shealthed inside of him. "For- Forte…!"

"Shh, it's alright." Forte kissed the smaller Navi, deciding to take pity on him. "It's alright. I'll take care of you now."

Quickly, Forte flipped the two of them around, with the dark Navi now looming over Rockman as the smaller Navi laid on his back. Rockman was briefly surprised by the sudden change in position, before he relaxed, looking at Forte was want and anticipation as he attempted to buck his hips against the larger Navi's. "Hnn…"

The dark Navi didn't need any further encouragement. Gripping Rockman's hips tightly, Forte began to fuck in ernest, each inward push coaxing a long whine from the smaller Navi as his soft walls quivered around his length, clutching desperately as he was spread repeatedly.

Forte hissed, biting the base of Rockman's neck when he felt the smaller Navi climax, the other's soft walls tightening around him, and it wasn't long before the dark Navi found himself thrusting into the smaller Navi one last time before he came himself, forcing himself against Rockman's inner opening before he spilled himself inside, feeling the smaller Navi gasp and whimper as he was filled. Forte jerked his hips into Rockman shallowly, making sure to get as much of himself as he could into his submissive, the smaller Navi letting out small, pleased little sounds until the two of them were done.

"...Hn." As he recovered, Rockman touched his belly softly, still slightly dazed from the experience. "It's inside…"

Forte chuckled, kissing the other Navi once more. "When do you suppose you'll start showing?"

Rockman's insides gave a soft clutch at his words. There was the voice of reason at the back of his mind that told him it wasn't possible, but his body knew what it wanted, his pupils dilated with desire as he looked at his dominant. "...Forte…"

He gasped when Forte suddenly jerked his hips forward into him, his body shuddering in response. "Don't worry. I said I'd take care of you." As the dark Navi began thrusting into him once more, Forte kissed him reassuringly. "And that includes any children you happen to give me."

The sounds of whining and moaning soon filled the entire area.


	119. Chapter 101

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Not really looking forward to the next several months in terms of school since there's a lot of big events that I need to prepare for. I already know I'm probably not going to be able to update on 10~11/11, but still not sure if I can sneak in the daily chapters for 9~10/8. I think there's also two days that I can't upload in September or October too- There's a lot of stuff that I gotta do is all I wanted to say.

"So half of the Mettaurs got sick overnight?"

Gateman gave him a half-glare. "With what happened, can you really be surprised?"

Rockman looked away, slightly embarrassed. Having obtained the unique keydatas from the former-WWW Navies, the blue Navi was currently in FireSoul, with perhaps a dozen or two Mettaurs all shivering and huddling around him for warmth.

"...Sorry. I didn't think they would target the village." Rockman apologized guiltily. He had thought that since his issue had been with Gospel alone, the organization would target him in case they ever sought revenge. He hadn't expected them to go out of their way to target those he cared about, though in hindsight, he supposed he should have known better than to believe otherwise.

"Hmph." Gateman snorted. "At least tell me the people responsible for it have been dealt with."

"Well…" Rockman frowned, petting one of the Mettaurs idly as he attempted to recall past events. "From what I've gathered from Shadowman, not long after their leader's arrest, it seems that Net Police were quick to identify the individuals who were operating the NetNavies that were responsible for Gospel's attacks. I think they've made several arrests, but since Princess Pride had returned to CreamLand before the Net Police could identify her as a member of Gospel… I'm not sure what'll happen to her." At this, the blue Navi's tone grew concerned. "...Sean's still unconscious and hospitalized, though. He's not in any life-threatening danger, but still… I hope he wakes up, soon."

If Gateman was confused by who "Sean" was, and why Rockman was so worried about him, the Navi didn't show it. "As long as they aren't able to bother the Mettaur Village again, I don't care what happens to them." Then, the Undernet Navi appeared to recall something. "I noticed another Navi hanging around you when you approached the village."

Rockman blinked, confused for a moment, before he realized that Gateman hadn't been referring to Shadowman. "Oh, you mean Swallowman?"

Gateman looked at him. "Is he your other subservient?"

"No… Not really." Rockman shook his head. "He's just decided to stick around, that's all." Then, in a softer voice, he murmured, almost to himself. "...Besides, I don't think he's really big on commitment with his personality, anyways…"

Gateman made a face. "I pity the poor fool who has to put up with him."

"..."

The two Navies allowed their conversation to trail off, and as Rockman watched the rest of the Mettaurs within the village fall back into normalcy, the blue Navi allowed his mind to wander.

He had briefly wondered what would happen once he'd taken care of Gospel- In his original timeline, while Forte was also the one to delete the multi-bug organism, it was because the dark Navi had been just as intrigued by his Ultimate Style as Sean had, and in truth, Rockman had only sought out the Ultimate Power of Style Change with such drive and determination because he'd wanted to battle with the Black Shadow, to defeat him and prove to himself that he could become just as powerful as Forte himself.

In the beginning, the both of them were evenly matched- With the power boost his Ultimate Style gave him, Rockman was able to keep up with all of Forte's attacks, and, at one point, even manage to over-power the Black Shadow. That all changed, however, when Forte had emerged from the rubble Rockman had thrown him into as Ultimate Style Forte. Having copied his Style Change data during their initial fight, the tides were quickly turned against Rockman, and the blue Navi had nearly been deleted as Forte- now even stronger and faster than before- unleashed another barrage of attacks towards him. Sometime during their fight, Netto had passed out from his extensive injuries shared through their Perfect Synchro, leaving Rockman to fend the Black Shadow off on his own.

In fact, it was somewhat thanks to luck and extremely quick thinking that had allowed him to come out of his battle with Forte alive. Netto had woken up just before Forte had been about to delete him, and while the two of them were able to fall back into Perfect Synchro and Style Change, Rockman's left arm and both of his legs had been completely damaged from when the dark Navi had attacked him relentlessly. Realizing that he would not be able to utilize the power of his Ultimate Style Change in his damaged limbs, Rockman focused all of his power, centralizing it to his right hand, unleashing his final attack that had pierced through Forte's Earth Breaker and then the Black Shadow himself- Rockman couldn't deny that he had been extremely lucky in that Forte hadn't expected it. If he had, the blue Navi was sure he would've been deleted ten times over, instead of it being the other way around.

Though, that brought up an entirely different set of questions that Rockman hadn't realized he would be facing until this point. In his original timeline, shortly after Forte's deletion, NetNavies who utilized something known as "Dark Power" began popping up left and right. They were much stronger than ordinary NetNavies, and they seemed determined to wreak havoc all over the cyberworld and later, the real world as well. With Blues' help, Rockman was able to defeat the four NetNavies that had been in command of the renegade Navies, but the real problem presented itself when it was revealed that those very same NetNavies had somehow managed to salvage the remnants of Forte's data after he had been deleted, fusing him with the dark power and creating ForteGS as a result, and the newly reborn Forte soon began to unleash his fury in the real world, nearly destroying Den City in his wake.

Of course- That wouldn't be happening this time around. For starters, Forte wasn't deleted in the final fight against Gospel, so there would be no data for those NetNavies to come across and use to recreate the Black Shadow as a darkloid. Though, with that out of the question, Rockman didn't know what they'd use as their final weapon. The blue Navi didn't doubt that the dark power would also slowly begin to surface in this timeline as well, but it was slightly concerning to him that there may now be something that those renegade Navies will be using that he hadn't accounted for.

' _...Maybe I'm overthinking this?'_  The blue Navi attempted to reason with himself.  _'Without Forte's help, maybe they'll be a lot easier to deal with this time. Perhaps this is a good thing?'_

" _METTAAAAAUUUR!_ "

Rockman was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the distressed cry of a Mettaur. Looking up, he saw Beep and Scuttlest running away from a dark figure, and the blue Navi immediately jumped to his feet to chase after them.

* * *

"Stop-  _Stop!_ "

Confused, Forte looked to where he'd heard the sound come from, and was even more baffled when he saw Mega grabbing the tail of what appears to be a miniature version of the Gospel beast he'd destroyed as the blue Navi attempted and failed to get the multi-bug organism to stop in its tracks. "Is everything alright?" Forte asked as he approached him.

Not realizing that Forte had saw him, Rockman was startled by the other's voice. "Ah! It's- It's nothing-" The blue Navi was jerked forward again as Gospel attempted to leap forward, growling in annoyance when it was pulled back by its tail.

"Is this a part of that multi-bug organism?" Forte was unwillingly intrigued as he looked at the beast- It was much smaller than its original counterpart, but it was still the size of a large dog.

"Yeah… It is." Rockman sighed. He'd originally wanted to keep it a surprise. "After you deleted the original Gospel beast, I found a NetNavi that I think got swallowed by it in the remnants of its data..." At this, Rockman glanced at the mini-Gospel, still snarling at him. "...And then, I found him, attached to that NetNavi's wings."

Forte turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "And you decided to bring it back instead of deleting it?"

"W-well…" The blue Navi pouted slightly. "I just thought… You might like him."

"What?"

"I mean…" Rockman blushed, looking away. "I mean, you went through all that trouble to get me Scuttlest, and I really like him. So I just wanted to get you something else in return…" The blue Navi paused, giving the miniature Gospel a glance. He wasn't even sure if Forte would like Gospel, to be completely honest, but if his knowledge on the past iteration of the Black Shadow was anything to go by… "...I'd originally wanted to wait until he was tamer, but he seems determined to do whatever I tell him not to."

Forte's expression had shifted into slight amusement. Letting Rockman let go of Gospel's tail, the dark Navi turned to the multi-bug organism instead. "Let me try."

Rockman watched with worry as Gospel hissed at Forte, baring its teeth as its tail flicked in irritation, but Forte merely raised a hand at it. "Sit." He told it.

The change was almost instantaneous. Gospel's behavior had gone from defiant to obedient as the beast sat down on its hind legs. Rockman's jaw dropped.

"Heel."

Gospel slumped down onto its stomach with a thump.

"Beg."

The beast sat back up, raising both of its front paws in a begging manner. Forte turned back to Rockman, smiling when he saw the stunned expression on the blue Navi's face.

"You're too soft on it, Mega." Forte explained. "It only knows how to respond to power and authority."

"...!"

Rockman turned to Gospel, looking at it with a mixture of disbelief and annoyance.  _'The nerve…!'_

Sensing the shift in his emotions, Forte chuckled. "I like it." He told Rockman, before kissing him gently. "Thankyou."

"...Hmph." Rockman looked away, still irritated with Gospel. "...I'm glad that at least one of us does."

"You got it for me, didn't you?"

"Well, yeah." At this, Rockman seemed to grow nervous, fidgeting with his thumbs as he spoke. "A-actually, this is just the first part of it- There's a part two, but that's also somewhat for me, too."

"Oh?" The dark Navi tilted his head, interested. "And what is this other thing you have in mind?"

Rockman smiled.


	120. Chapter 102 (Amusement Park)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Oh my god the school calendar is so misleading. The deadline for handing in the documents for events is on Sunday, but the school office only opens from Monday to Friday. Thank fuck I decided to check or I would've been fucked. Also, not sure if I'll be able to get a chapter out on Friday, but I'll try to. It really depends how late my friends want me to stay at the event giving out leaflets.

"What in the world…"

Grinning, Rockman looked back, brushing a stray strand of hair aside as took Forte's hand. "Amazing, isn't it?"

"..." Forte frowned, unsure of what to say for a moment, before he murmured. "Why would anyone make something like this in the surface net…?"

"What, an amusement park for NetNavies?" Rockman shrugged. As far as he was aware, there hadn't been anything of the sort in his previous timeline, either, but with how quickly technology seems to be advancing in this timeline, perhaps he shouldn't be so surprised that an amusement park actually got built inside of the cyberworld- There were already central areas that acted as towns and cities, anyways. Perhaps this was only the logical next step to take in network advancement.

"Well… From what I've heard, this is meant to be a new attraction site for a theme park in the real world." Rockman explained, tilting his head briefly. "I guess having the first cyberworld theme park in your list of attractions is bound to draw in crowds."

Forte looked around. Indeed, even outside of the park itself, there were already crowds of other NetNavies gathered around. "Fair enough. But why were you so interested in coming here?"

The blue Navi looked to the side. "...I just wanted to finally go on a date with you."

The dark Navi raised an eyebrow. "Mega. We've been on dates before. Twice."

"Those don't count!" Rockman argued, blushing. "I… I just wanted to spend time with you in the surface net, but somehow, it keeps on getting interrupted by something else. It was WWW the first time, and then Gospel the next…" He paused, shaking his head. "I want us to get the entire date to ourselves this time.I don't want anything to interrupt us."

Forte's expression was partly resigned, partly amused. "Alright then. By all means, let's go."

As the two of them entered, Rockman was blown away by the design of the place- He'd seen amusement parks both from image files and through his PET before, but to actually be there physically…

It was a bit overwhelming, and Rockman took a moment to calm himself.

"NO, NO- THIS ISN'T A HOAX! THIS IS REAL, ACTUAL FOOD THAT CAN BE CONSUMED BY NETNAVIES!"

Rockman blinked. Turning to his right, the blue Navi saw what appears to be a vendor programme, holding what Rockman recognized to be a cloud of cotton candy in one of its head-appendages. The surrounding NetNavies looked either intrigued or suspicious.

Interested, Rockman went over to the programme. "Excuse me- Did you say that this can actually be eaten?"

The program's head-appendages perked up in slightly hope. "IT IS! IT'S ACTUAL COTTON CANDY THAT CAN BE EATEN BY NETNAVIES!"

The blue Navi touched the side of his face lightly. No wonder the rest of the NetNavies were all so hesitant- The concept of someone actually programming food in the cyberworld that can be eaten by NetNavies was so revolutionary that even he had trouble wrapping his head around it- And he'd technically even seen technology that wasn't meant to happen in several more years! Still, there was no harm in actually trying it, was there…?

"Alright, I'll take one." Rockman said. "How much is it?"

The programme was ecstatic. "IT'S 2000 ZENNIES!"

Almost instantly, a low murmur could be heard among the group of NetNavies, and Rockman couldn't say he blamed them- He had used to be a lot more stingy about money, too, before he realized that the Undernet was literally scattered with valuable mystery datas that can be salvaged for a high price, though he also understood that few would be willing to take that risk just for Zennies.

Once the blue Navi handed over the Zennies, the programme got to work. Taking out a lollipop stick, the programme went to the machine besides it, pouring some sort of mixture into it and turning it on with the flick of a switch. Then, the surrounding Navies all watched in awe as the programme began to spin the lollipop stick in circles inside the machine, thin strands of sugar gradually formed, sticking and curling around each other as the ball of cotton grew larger and larger.

"HERE YOU GO!" The programme beamed as it handed Rockman the ball of cotton candy. "TRY IT AND SEE HOW IT TASTES!"

Curious, the blue Navi tore out a small piece and plopped it into his mouth, surprised when the fluff melted, leaving behind a syrupy taste. He shivered.  _'Is this what 'sweet' tastes like? No wonder human children are always so addicted to these kinds of things!'_

"It's sweet!" Rockman said to the other NetNavies, smiling, before he left the vendor, ignoring the loud ruckus behind him as he went back to Forte. "Forte! You have to try this! It's cotton candy!"

Having watched the previous happenings play out from a distance, the dark Navi allowed Rockman to tear him a piece of the candy and feed it to him. The moment Rockman placed the candy in his mouth, the dark Navi choked and nearly spat it back out.

"Forte!" Rockman gasped, alarmed by the other's reaction. "Are you okay?"

"I'm- I'm alright." Swallowing, Forte wiped his mouth quickly. "...I just wasn't expecting…  _that_."

"What? You mean, taste?" Rockman tilted his head, confused. "I wasn't expecting it, either, but did you have to react like that? You had me worried for a second there!"

"Sorry." Forte made a face. "It was a bit too… heavy, for me." Then, he gave Rockman a look. "I'm surprised you're alright with it."

The blue Navi pouted. "Fine, then. I guess that means more for me." He took another bite out of the cotton candy, ignoring the other's grimace as he did so.

"Hey, look- They even have a ferris wheel!" Rockman grinned when he noticed the large structure in the distance. "I bet we'd get a really nice view of the park from there."

The dark Navi followed his gaze, looking unimpressed, before a thought seemed to have crossed his mind. "Do you want to ride it?" He asked.

The other's calculating look had completely gone over Rockman's head. He smiled. "Sure! Why not? Let's go!"


	121. Chapter 103

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Again, not sure if I'll be able to get anything out tomorrow, but I'll try to. Damn, the sudden spike in workload is unreal.

The carriage swayed softly as Rockman stepped onto it, the blue Navi going over and sitting down at the passenger seat on one side of the capsule. Forte joined him not a moment later.

"FEEL FREE TO MOVE AROUND IF YOU WANT TO GET A BETTER VIEW OF THE SCENERY!" A programme told them once the two Navies were seated. "JUST DON'T JUMP OR STOMP INSIDE OF THE CAPSULE, OKAY?" With that, the programme closed the door, and the ferris wheel began to move.

As the wheel turned, Rockman looked out from the capsule, and couldn't quite suppress the feeling of awe when he gradually saw the full scale of the park underneath him. Aside from the data paths, the NetNavies and the programmes, the blue Navi couldn't really see a real different with this cyberworld amusement park and ones from the real world. From where he stood, the blue Navi could even see trees and other shrubbery, which he supposed had to be coded from data of sorts.

For a moment, Rockman wasn't sure of what to think. Such a thing could never had been possible in his original timeline. Not unless it was given perhaps another decade of development. Maybe his actions were really having an impact on this timeline. He allowed himself the small bit of pride and accomplishment knowing this.

"Mega."

Rockman blinked, surprised. Somehow, during his brief internal monolog, Forte had scooted next to him and pulled the smaller Navi into his lap. "Did you know that there's a superstition surrounding ferris wheels?" He asked as he placed his forehead against the back of the blue Navi's head.

Rockman paused. He really didn't know any myths surrounding ferris wheels. "What is it?"

"Hm." The arms around Rockman's waist clutched tighter. "It goes something like this; If two people get on a ferris wheel, they'll end up being seperated after they get off."

"...What?" The blue Navi was baffled by such a thing.

"Unless they kiss when they reach the top of the wheel." Forte chuckled. "Then they'll stay together."

"..." Rockman fell quiet for a while, giving the dark Navi an incredulous look. "You're lying."

"It's the truth."

"You just made that up on the spot!" Rockman accused him.

Forte shrugged, unfazed. Instead, he feigned hurt. "I didn't know you were so against kissing me, Mega."

Rockman blushed, turning away. "E-even if it's true… We haven't reached the top yet. So…"

He gasped suddenly. Forte had bit the back of his neck. "No harm in starting early." The dark Navi said as he gently licked the place where he'd just bitten.

To his shock, Forte had somehow slipped his fingers in between his legs, touching him  _there_. "Forte!" Rockman hissed, reaching a hand back, attempting to stop the larger Navi. "Are you crazy? Stop it!"

"Why?" Forte had dipped his fingers even deeper into him, and Rockman couldn't quiet stop the surprised cry that left him. He clasped a hand over his mouth instantly, attempting to muffle his voice as he brought his legs together.

"People are going to see!" Rockman hadn't forgotten that they were still very much out in the open.

"They won't. They're too busy minding their own business." Forte told him, and Rockman whimpered when he felt the dark Navi withdraw his fingers, pushing something else against his slit. The blue Navi yelped, struggling out of panic and embarrassment, but Forte held him still, kissing the back of his neck. "Don't worry. I won't drag it out this time."

Rockman gasped, nearly biting down into his own palm as he felt Forte thrust up into him, his insides stretched around the dark Navi's length, clutching and quivering awkwardly. He whimpered into his hand, turning slightly and giving Forte a glare when he felt he wouldn't make any embarrassing sounds. "Y-you… asshole…"

Forte merely grinned, and began bucking his hips into the smaller Navi, Rockman desperately attempting to muffled his cries and whimpers whenever the tip of Forte's length bumped up against his inner opening. "Nh, n-not so- Ahn…! B-be gentler… Ah…!"

"Shh. It's alright. I've got you." Forte kissed his cheek when the blue Navi began sobbing from repeated stimulation. "We're near the top now- Do you see?"

Rockman couldn't believe the other's absurdity- How was supposed to be able to tell right now?! Then, a sudden cry slipped past his lips when Forte abruptly increased his pace, and the blue Navi sobbed harder, his entire body quivering with pleasure. "Ahn! F-Forte…!"

"Shit." Forte hissed softly. "You're so close. I can feel it." Then, before Rockman's mind could catch up to what was happening, Forte had leaned forward whilst taking the blue Navi's chin in his hands, tilted his head to face him. "Be good and come for me, alright?"

Then, Forte kissed him on the lips, Rockman's eyes widening before he felt his body tightening as he orgasmed, a muffled whine leaving him as he felt Forte come inside of him several moments later, spilling himself deep within him just as they reached the top.

* * *

"What the matter? Walk properly."

Blushing, Rockman glared at the other Navi. The two of them had just gotten off the ferris wheel, and the blue Navi was still flustered and embarrassed by the experience. It didn't help that his legs were still shaking, and he had to lean against the other Navi as he walked.

"As if that's my fault!" Rockman yelled at Forte, his face a bright shade of red. "You… I can't believe you actually did that! What if someone saw?!"

Forte was strangely unconcerned. Smiling, he placed one hand on the back of Rockman's head, running his fingers through his hair briefly. "At least you aren't going anywhere now."

"..."

Rockman looked away. Damn it, he would've pushed Forte, if he wasn't sure he'd probably fall over himself if he did so.

"Where do you want to go to, next?" Forte asked him, finally deciding not to embarrass the blue Navi further.

"Hmph…" Rockman frowned, looking around before a nearby building caught his attention. It was strangely gothic, and not at all like the other structures surrounding it. "Forte, what's that?"

The dark Navi followed his gaze. "Seems like a haunted mansion."

Rockman blanched upon hearing that.  _'H-haunted?!'_

"We can take a look, if you want." Forte turned back to him.

"Wh-what?" Rockman's eyes widened. "No!"

His sudden outburst must have surprised the other Navi, and Forte raised an eyebrow, confused. "Are you scared?"

"I-" Rockman paused, his lips quivering. He was still deathly terrified of ghosts, but his pride got the better of him. He couldn't afford to let Forte know something so embarrassing! He puffed his chest up. "O-of course not! I'm just surprised you'd even like something like that! That's all!"

If Forte was suspicious by his sudden change in behavior, he didn't show it. "Alright, then. Let's check it out."

Taking his hand, Forte led the two of them towards the gothic mansion, all the while, Rockman was chanting over and over in his mind,  _'Please don't let it be ghosts. Please don't let it be ghosts…'_


	122. Chapter 104

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I just got in trouble for the most absurd reason with my seniors. Apparently, "Format Theft" is a thing. I am never joining another club again, thank you very much. Regardless, this is one chapter I've been waiting to write for a long time- So I hope you all enjoy it!

Rockman's nagging fear and worry gradually turned into surprise when he saw the poster display at the entrance at the mansion.

"H-Hey! That's…!"

"AH! SO YOU'RE A FAN OF LUNAR KNIGHTS AS WELL, I SEE!" Seeing his shocked expression, the programme's eyes lit up. "WELCOME TO THE COUNT'S CASTLE!"

The blue Navi's eyes was still fixated at the blond-haired boy striking a pose in one of their promotional posters. Belated, he turned back to the programme greeting them. "I'm sorry, is this…?"

"THIS IS A LUNAR KNIGHTS THEMED SIMULATION EXPERIENCE!" The programme explained enthusiastically. "ONCE INSIDE, YOU'LL EXPERIENCE ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC SCENES IN LUNAR KNIGHTS!"

He didn't even need to look back to know that Forte was watching the whole thing with disbelief. "I didn't realize Lunar Knights was so popular." Rockman pondered as he turned back to the other Navi, smiling. "So? You wanna check it out with me?"

The dark Navi made a face, obviously conflicted, before he spoke. "Fine."

"GREAT!" The programme chirped. "SEVERAL REMINDERS BEFORE YOU ENTER; ONE, PLEASE DON'T HIT THE OTHER PROGRAMMES INSIDE OF THE COUNT'S MANSION- AGAIN, THIS IS JUST A SIMULATION EXPERIENCE, AND WE'RE JUST TRYING TO DELIVER EVERYONE A MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE."

"Alright." Rockman nodded. "I get that."

"SECOND, PLEASE FOLLOW YOUR GUIDE AND STICK TO THE PATH!" The programme continued. "WE'VE HAD SOME NETNAVIES WANDER OFF FROM THE PATH BEFORE, AND WE'RE STILL HAVING TROUBLE LOCATING THEM- E-ER, I MEAN!" The programme fumbled for a bit. "TH-THAT'S PRETTY MUCH IT! IS THERE ANYTHING YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND?"

"No. I understand the rules." Rockman replied, trying not to think about the lost NetNavies too much.

"GREAT!" With that, the programme grabbed the handle of the door entrance of the mansion, before moving to the side and pulling the door open, a loud creak sounding out as it did so. "WELL THEN, BY ALL MEANS- ENTER INTO THE COUNT'S MANSION! AND REMEMBER- MAY THE SUN BE WITH YOU!"

Taking Forte's hand, Rockman stepped through the doorway, the entrance closing with a loud bang behind them moments later, plunging the two Navies into darkness.

"May the sun be with you?" Forte asked him, his tone incredulous.

"It's just something that's repeated in the books." Rockman couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

Then, with a click, a light was turned on, a beam of light shining down from the ceiling onto the floor slightly before them, illuminating the area in its wake. Once their eyes had adjusted to the light, the two NetNavies saw another figure standing before them, Rockman recognizing the figure instantly.

" _Hello! I'm Django, the Solar Boy!_ " The blond-haired boy grinned as he twirled the gun in his hands twice, before putting it back in its holster expertly. " _I have come to the Count's mansion to avenge my father's death- Have you come to aid me in my quest?"_

Rockman blinked. The figure of the Solar Boy Django didn't look like a hologram, and seemed to have an actual form.  _'Perhaps this is one of the other programmes the one at the entrance was telling us about? Someone must have done some serious coding to change their appearance to reflect the character down to every detail!'_  Then, he turned to Forte, smiling. "That's Django. He's one of the main character in Lunar Knights. The Count is a vampire that killed his father. I guess in this simulation, we're supposed to help him hunt down the Count."

"He's going to hunt down a vampire?" Forte raised an eyebrow. "He doesn't look any older than ten."

"It's just a story, Forte." Rockman argued. "It's not meant to be realistic."

" _I saw the Count escape back into his mansion!_ " The programme simulation of Django continued. " _Quick- Follow me! We mustn't allow him to escape!_ " With that, the blond turned and went up the stairs behind him, his red scarf flapping behind him briefly before disappearing into the darkness completely.

Entirely immersed, Rockman gripped Forte's hand tighter before running after the boy, practically dragging the dark Navi behind him. "Come on, Forte! Let's go!"

The blue Navi ran up the staircase, the wooden tiles below his feet creeking softly as he did so. As soon as the two Navies made it up the stairs, the corridor above led to a wide, open area, the walls lining with old and torn wallpaper and shattered glass windows, an ancient chandelier hanging above them as they entered the room.

" _You've got nowhere to run, Count!_ " In the center of the room, the simulation programme of Django spoke.

" _Worthless insect!_ " Looking slightly above them, Rockman noticed another figure, this one taking on a more menacing shape, with two large, curled horns attached to his head. The blue Navi recognized him as the Count- The vampire that they were hunting. " _What can you possible hope to do against me? Prepare to face your demise!"_

With a flick of his hands, the vampire sent several red sharps hurtling towards Django, the boy swiftly rolling out of harm's way, the floor tiles breaking and shattering upon collision. On pure instinct, Rockman wanted to run over to help upon seeing someone in danger, but Forte took his hand and yanked him back.

"It's not real." The dark Navi reminded him. "It's just a simulation. Calm down."

"...!"

So that was what the programme was talking about hitting other programmes… "S-sorry. I kind of got too into it." Rockman blushed, embarrassed.

The two of them continued to watch as the two simulation programmes of Django and the Count fight each other, the blond would occasionally get the upper hand as he shot the vampire with his gun, but that quickly changed when the vampire managed to knock it out of his hands.

" _Ah! The Gun del Sol!_ " Django gasped, alarmed.

" _Ha! You're finished now!_ "

Just as the Count brought his claws down at the blond, the boy parried the attack with his sword, a loud clunk sounding out as the two forced collided. Then, the blond turned his head slightly, looking back at the two NetNaives. " _Quick! Help me with something!_ "

"What is it?" Rockman asked. The simulation had the Navi at the edge of his seat.

" _See the sky lights over there?_ " As Rockman followed Django's gaze, he quickly saw several beams on light shining down through the cracks of the ceiling. " _Point my gun to the light and let it absorb the light from the sun! With the added energy, I should be able to defeat the Count!_ "

"Alright! I've got it!" Rockman quickly snached the gun up, the weight of it firm and heavy in his hand, and Forte watched with disbelief and amusement as the blue Navi ran over to the beam of light, pointing the gun towards the light and yelled, "Taiyo!"

Instantly, the gun began to glow in his hands, absorbing the sunlight coming down from the ceiling. Once it was charged up, Rockman turned back to the center of the room, where the two simulation programmes of Django and the Count were still in combat. "Django! Catch!"

The blue Navi took aim, before throwing the gun, Django catching the gun expertly in his hand. Just as the Count was coming up from behind him, the blond turned, aiming the Solar Gun directly at the vampire's chest before pulling the trigger, the now fully-charged Gun del Sol unleashing a large ball of solar energy, the Count shrieking as his body was evaporated. Not a moment later, the remnants of his dark matter gathered together, forming into a stone coffin in the direct place where he was defeated.

" _Alright! We've defeated the count- But it's not over yet!_ " Grinning, Django turned towards the two NetNavies. " _The Count's body still needs to be purified, otherwise, he'll just reincarnate as a different form!_ "

Taking out a chain, the blond quickly bound the coffin, before taking the loose end of it, giving it a firm yank, nodding to himself when the chains didn't come off. " _We have to bring his body to the Pile Driver- I'll clear the way first! You two join me there!_ " With that, the boy turned to the door at the far end of the room, and began dragging the coffin down the corridor, his form disappearing once more shortly after.

"Forte, let's go!" Rockman grinned, gesturing for the dark Navi to follow.

The other Navi merely regarded him with an amused look as he walked over. "Someone's having fun."

"Hey!" Rockman pouted, blushing. He knew how Forte felt about the novel, but he really couldn't help himself! The simulations were so real!

Chuckling, Forte merely patted him on the head. "Alright, Let's just get to the end of the simulation."


	123. Chapter 105

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Not looking forward to 31/7 because we gotta do some shady shit but hopefully it all goes well and we won't get caught. I realize they do this every year but damn if someone gets caught I just don't want to think of what would happen.
> 
> A/N2: Sorry, Count. According to my last chapter, you no longer attack with red shards, but with red sharps, though I suppose they're technically the same thing.

As Rockman flung the door open at the end of the corridor, he was surprised when he walked into an area out in the open, with sunlight shining upon them. Rubbing his eyes, the blue Navi took another look and saw four strange contraptions that resembled large show lights pointing towards a central point. In the middle, Django was steadying the coffin inside of the strange runes on the ground.

Forte was just behind him. "What…?" The dark Navi was clearly baffled by the scene before him.

" _Ah! You've come! Great!_ " The blond smiled as he saw the two Navies approach. He gestured to the four surrounding machineries. " _This is the Pile Driver! We'll be purifying the Count's body here!_ " Then, as if he could tell that the dark Navi didn't understand what he'd meant, Django explained, " _The Pile Driver is powered by sunlight, which is why it's set out here in the open. When I turn it on, it'll begin to direct the sun's power into the coffin, cleansing the dark matter within it. That's how we'll make sure the Count doesn't reincarnate into a different form!_ "

"Alright!" Rockman grinned. "Let's do this!"

The blond nodded. " _I'll start up the Pile Driver now!_ " Stepping just on the exterior of the runes, he pointed his Solar Gun towards the sun. " _Taiyo!_ "

Immediately, the runes began to glow, feeding the sun's energy into the four surrounding mysteries, their lights flickering for a moment, before they completely blared to life, and four beams of completely charged solar energy shot towards the coffin in the middle. As if sensing the danger, the lid of the coffin flung open, dark matter bursting out and colliding with the beams of light.

" _Oh no!_ " Django gasped. " _The Count's fighting the purification with his own dark matter!_ " The blond then turned to Rockman, handing him the Gun del Sol as he drew his sword and went over to the open coffin. " _I'll force him back into his coffin! Keep the Pile Driver charged! The purification will fail if the Count destroys it!"_

"I've got it!" Taking the Solar Gun, Rockman ran over to one of the machineries that had clouds of dark matter surrounding it. Aiming the gun at the dark matter, the blue Navi pulled the trigger, and solar energy shot out from the Gun del Sol, dissipating the dark energy and recharging the Pile Driver as it lit backup, firing another beam of solar energy at the coffin. Whenever the dark matter got too close to one of the machines, the blue Navi would knock it back with several shots from the Gun del Sol, while Django was busy forcing the Count back into the coffin with his sword to stop him from escaping.

" _We've almost got him!_ " Django yelled with another swing of his sword, the could of dark matter hissing and shrieking with primal rage. " _One final shot should do it!_ "

"Let's finish him!" Coming from behind the Count, Rockman aimed the Gun del Sol at the vampire. "Eat this!"

A large ball of solar energy shot out from the gun, and as it pierced through the lingering form of the Count, the dark matter surrounding him dissipated, the four beams of light crashing into the vampire, evaporating him completely. The only thing heard was the fading scream of the vampire as all the dark matter faded away, and the coffin crumbled into ash and dust shortly after.

" _We… We've done it!_ " Django smiled as he went over to the blue Navi. Rockman handed him back his gun, and the blond replaced it back into his holster. " _Thanks to you, the Count is now gone for good!_ "

"Don't say that!" Rockman let out a short, embarrassed laugh. "You're the one who did most of the work…"

The simulation programme of Django merely dusted himself off, fixing his attire swiftly, before he continued. " _It was great to be able to share this adventure with you, but I'm afraid this is where we must part ways._ "

"That's alright." Rockman replied. Then, remembering the plot of the story, he added. "Good luck finding your brother Sabata."

Django nodded. " _Well, then. I must be off. But while our destinations may be different, I'm sure that our paths may cross again!_ " Then, with a wave of his hand, the blond turned and ran off into the distance. " _Remember- May the sun be with you!_ "

Rockman watched the boy leave, before the area grew brightly. Covering his eyes from the light, the blue Navi reopened them once it had died down, blinking when he realized he was now in a tiled room.

"AH! YOU'VE COME TO THE END OF THE SIMULATION, I SEE!" A programme greeted him as it approached. "HOW WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE? I HOPE YOU'VE HAD A THRILLING TIME!"

"It was…" Rockman looked around, still having trouble believing that the room that they were in was an outdoors, open area just moments ago. "It was amazing! I wasn't expecting something so real!"

"OH! THAT'S GOOD TO HEAR! THE REST OF THE PROGRAMMES WILL BE OVERJOYED TO HEAR THIS! EVERYONE'S PUT SO MUCH EFFORT INTO THIS SIMULATION, AND IT'S VERY FULFILLING TO KNOW NAVIES REALLY ENJOYED THE EXPERIENCE!" The programme jumped up and down excited, before it appeared to have remembered something. "A-AH! WELL, BEFORE YOU GO, WOULD YOU LIKE SOME OF THE PICTURES TAKEN DURING THE SIMULATION AS A SOUVENIR? THEY'RE ONLY 500 ZENNIES EACH!"

Rockman paused. He didn't realize there would be pictures. "Oh, can I see them, first?"

"OF COURSE!" At once, the programme opened a series of image files, and Rockman's face went blank.

It was photo after photo of him looking overly excited about a simulation programme, pointing the Solar Gun into the air while shouting and yelling all at once. Rockman slapped his own face.  _'Oh my god, I look so stupid-'_

"I'll take them all."

Alarmed, Rockman looked back up to see Forte already paying for all of the photos.

"FORTE-  _NO!_ "

* * *

"What is it? Did you not have fun?"

Huffing, Rockman took another bite out of his cotton candy- the blue Navi couldn't resist buying another one as they left the park. "...Hmph."

"Are you still mad about that thing?" The dark Navi asked, his tone overly innocent.

"..." Rockman looked away, blushing. "I just know you're going to take it out and make fun of me for it sometime later."

"You wound me." Forte said, fingering hurt. "I would never do that."

"There's literally no other reason for you to buy all of those photos!" Rockman glared at the other.

"Maybe I just wanted pictures of my mate?" Forte raised an eyebrow. "You looked really cute in some of them."

"Sh-shut up!" The blue Navi was completely flustered at this point.

The other Navi merely smiled, reaching a hand over, placing a hand on the blue Navi's waist and pulling him close. "Come. Let's go home."


	124. Chapter 106

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I don't know how I still have the drive to do things. I mean, I still want to draw and write but everything else, I just want to get done and over it. Starting to think it was more trouble than it's worth joining this club, but I've joined and I can't back off from it now, so I'll just have to keep up with the work.

' _...Huh?'_

Rockman blinked his eyes open, and found himself currently floating within some sort of static data stream, chunks of broken data floating past him briefly as he looked around. Wincing, the blue Navi realized he was badly damaged when he attempted to move, and as he steadied himself within the makeshift cyberworld limbo, he saw the giant, monstrous form of Nebula Grey looming over him, the embodiment of rage and hatred looking down at the Navi with menaching eyes, baring its fangs as it snarled, the broken and shattered chains around its body and wrists doing little to hold it back.

He shook. He remembered this scene clearly.  _'This is when I was fighting Nebula Grey…! But why…?'_

He tensed when he felt a presence behind him. He didn't dare to move. "Don't tell me you've lost your drive, Rockman."

"...!"

Rockman recognized that voice instantly- How could he not?- It was Forte. He and the other Navi had been the only survivors of Nebua Grey's previous attack, but instead of relief, the blue Navi felt the unease and growing dread crawling within him.

Something was  _off_. The dark Navi was calling him by his actual name, and his tone was one filled with contempt and spite- Something that Rockman had a hard time accepting that was now suddenly directed at him.

"...Forte." He found himself saying, before he could stop himself. "Please- Lend me your power."

"What?"

"...There's no one else left to fight Nebula Grey." Rockman explained, trying desperately to keep his voice steady as he spoke. "As it stands now… We have the best chance of defeating it if we fight together."

"Are you serious?" Forte's tone was unreadable. Panicked, the blue Navi turned, attempting to reason with the other Navi, but a sharp pain shot through him and he was knocked back- Forte had stuck him across the face.

"Have you gone mad?!" Forte bellowed, his crimson eyes wild with rage and fury, and Rockman couldn't help but shrink back under his glare. "We're enemies- There's no possible way we could fight together!"

"For-Forte! We don't stand a chance against Nebula Grey otherwise!" Rockman yelled back. "You have to understand-"

" _SILENCE!_ "

Before he could react, Forte had dashed forward with his hand outstretched, catching the blue Navi's neck in his palm and clenched. Instinctively, Rockman grabbed the dark Navi's hand, attempting to dislodge it as Forte squeezed his throat tightly, choking him.

"My power is used to destroy you!" The dark Navi continued, ignoring Rockman's distress. "And your power is used to fight me! Any understanding we have between us is only possible through ruthless and bloody battle!"

"Forte…!" Rockman wheezed. The hand around his neck was squeezing down too tightly. "You can't…! We can't…!"

This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. How were they enemies again? Why was Forte looking at him with such hate and contempt that Rockman found himself unwillingly petrified?

A loud roar shot through the entire area. Looking the best he could, Rockman quickly realized that Nebula Grey was charging up another attack, apparently deciding that it had had enough of waiting around. He watched with dread as the beast opened its jaw, a large, condensed ball of crackling energy forming in his maw.

"Forte!" He tried to warn the other Navi. "Look out…!"

With a snarl, Nebula Grey unleashed a beam of energy towards them, and Rockman found himself unable to do anything but watch as it drew closer and closer-

" _NO!_ "

Rockman shot awake, the remnants of the fading dream still plaguing his mind as he sat up. When he was quickly caught, the blue Navi still hadn't shaken the fear and dread from his dream completely, and he instantly began to struggle, thrashing around as he felt the arms holding him even tighter.

"Shh, shh." A hand patted his back. "It's alright. I've got you."

He froze when the voice registered in his mind, before he gradually relaxed, reaching his hands up to grab onto the other NetNavi holding him. "Forte…"

Burying his head into the other's chest, Rockman attempted to calm himself.  _'It's just a dream- Thank god. It's just a dream…'_

"...It was that bad, huh?" Forte asked him, once he felt that the smaller Navi was calm enough. When the blue Navi merely nodded, he continued. "Can you tell me?"

"..." Rockman hesitated for a slight moment. He didn't want to lie or outright refuse to answer the dark Navi's question, but how can he explain it with as much truth as possible while not revealing that his dream had been about what he experienced in his previous timeline…?

"It's… It's something that's happened to me in the past." Rockman said, slowly. Not wanting to accidentally say anything he might regret. "Something that I want to prevent- I don't want it to happen again."

Forte frowned, but didn't push him- Something that Rockman was extremely thankful for. While Forte still had some things he didn't necessarily agreed with Rockman on, it was fortunate that the dark Navi wouldn't force him to do something he was clearly against. Instead, he waited for the blue Navi to decide whether he wanted to explain himself further, which Rockman eventually did.

"I… I can't say too much about it, but… It used to make me feel so helpless." Rockman turned his head slightly, sniffing. "When it happened, I felt so powerless. That maybe, if I had been just a little bit stronger, I could have prevented it from happening. And then, when…"  _'When you confronted me…'_

"...There was so much hate and suffering." Rockman said, looking up to meet Forte's gaze. "I thought that, if only I could make h-him see that I just wanted to understand him, that I only wanted to help him, then maybe…" The blue Navi trailed off, not even sure what he was even trying to get across at this point.

"...But he never saw it that way. Sometimes, I still wonder if it's because I hadn't tried hard enough. If I had, then maybe-"

"Don't be." Forte cut him off. "Someone who fails to see your genuine kindness is either stupid or in denial."

"..."

Rockman bit his lips, looking away. The irony was not lost on him.

"...Forte." As he drew back, Rockman took Forte's hands in his own, gripping them firmly. "You… You have to promise me something."

The dark Navi raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"P-please don't doubt me, okay?" Rockman said, his green eyes meeting Forte's red ones. "Whatever happens- I've said it before, but I do care about you. A lot. And that won't change, no matter what happens, okay?"

Forte fell silent for a moment, clearly baffled and confused on why Rockman would bring this up all of a sudden, but the dark Navi still nodded. "Alright. I promise."

For some reason, Rockman felt an immense relief upon hearing that. He leaned back over to kiss the other Navi on his lips. "That's good. Because you're never getting rid of me. Ever."


	125. Chapter 107 (Virus Laboratory)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I just want to draw and write. I don't know. I just don't feel like doing anything else. Again, not sure if I'll be able to get a chapter out tomorrow, so you guys get a longer chapter. Cheers.

"Netto-kun!" Hub hissed as he clapped his palm over his younger sibling's mouth mid-yawn. "Can't you at least pretend to pay attention?"

"I'm sorry!" Netto made a face, yanking his elder sibling's palm off. "But it's just so boring! They're teaching us things we already know about! What's the point?"

"Not so loud!" Hub winced, attempting to stop the other Hikari from embarrassing them any further.

"What's that?" From the front of the room, the man in the lab coat looked towards them. The class was currently on a field trip to the new virus laboratory in SciLabs to learn about different viruses found on the net, the potential dangers of these rouge viruses, and how to delete these threats. While the scientist explaining all of this to the class was undoubtedly knowledgeable on what he was teaching, he was most likely a new employee at SciLabs, as he didn't seem to recognize the two Hikari twins. "So, you're saying that you're an expert on virus busting, huh?"

"I guess?" Netto was completely oblivious to the man's annoyance on having been interrupted mid-explanation. "I mean, it's not like you're teaching anything all that complicated…"

A soft giggle was heard within the group of children, and Hub wanted to find a corner to hide in. The man's frown deepened. "Well then, I don't suppose you'd like to give us a demonstration on busting viruses?"

Seeing where this was going, Hub desperately attempted to stop his younger sibling, but it was too late. Excited to be doing something that was practically his hobby, Netto had already made his way to the front of the room, where the SciLab computers were lined up against the wall, and the large, display panel at the front of the room showed what was happening in the cyberworld. Netto smiled at the scientist as he took out his PET. "Alright! Just release the viruses, and me and X are gonna bust them all!"

Not expecting such an enthusiastic reaction, the scientist was visibly stunned for a moment, before his face turned bright red. Hub was screaming internally- If the man was already this angry, he shuddered to think what would happen when it turns out that Netto was a lot more knowledgeable about virus busting and net battling than others his age. The rest of the class knew it, too, and there were already soft murmured among the rest of the students, but none of them appeared to want to let the scientist in on their little secret- The man was in for an unpleasant surprise.

"Let's go!" Netto was still none the wiser as to what was happening. "Plug in, Rockman X, transmission!"

In a flash of light, Rockman X had plugged into the computer systems, and the murmur among the class got louder and more excited as they saw the form on the blue Navi appear on screen.

"First wave of viruses released!" The scientist pressed a button on the control panel before him. It was still clear he was waiting to teach the Hikari a lesson. Instantly, three mettaurs appeared before Rockman X. Having faced viruses of much higher calibre before, X merely smiled confidently as he looked at the viruses.

Similarly, Netto merely turned to the class, grinning from ear to ear. "Alright everyone! Here's how you bust some viruses!" Taking out a Battle Chip, he waved it in front of everyone. "While your Navi's default ability is good and all, if you wanna bring down viruses real quick, you gotta make use of Battle Chips!" Then, he slotted the chip into his PET. "Attack Battle Chip; Canon- Slot in!"

X raised his hand, forming it into a canon before taking aim. His shot priced through one of the Mettaurs and deleting it instantly. The class "ooh"ed.

"You can use Battle Chips in succession as well!" Once more, the Hikari held up two Battle Chips and showing it to the rest of the class before he slotted it into his PET. "Attack Battle Chip; Area Steal! Sword! Double slot in!"

As the two remaining mettaurs sent a shockwave towards X, the blue Navi had disappeared entirely before appearing before the viruses, slicing through them with his sword effortlessly. The class cheered, and Hub looked on, worried, at the scientist besides them, who was barely just containing his anger at his younger sibling.

"Second wave of viruses released!"

Netto's smile didn't falter. "Each viruses have their own elements and different ways of attacking!" Seeing that the virus released this time was several Shrimpy viruses, the boy took out a ZapRing Battle Chip. "There are four elements; Fire, Aqua, Wood and Elec, and each of these elements suppresses one element, while being weak against another! Since this virus is of the Aqua element, it'll take twice the damage from Elec-type attacks!" Then, he slotted the Battle Chip in.

"Zap Ring!" Aiming his buster at the Shrimpy viruses, X fired an electric ring at the viruses, the Shrimpies getting shocked with electricity and were quickly deleted.

"Third wave of viruses released!" The man's hands were shaking now. This time, it was a giant Lavagon virus, the dragon-like virus flapping its wings as it loomed over X, before roaring at the blue Navi, but both Navi and operator remained unfazed.

"Finally, if you use specific Battle Chips in a specific order, you might be able to trigger something called "Programme Advance"! It's a super awesome, super cool and super powerful attack that can take down a lot of enemies in a single shot!" Holding up three Battle Chips, Netto slotted them in consecutively. "Attack Battle Chip; Canon! Triple slot in!"

On the screen, the class watched in awe as X brought his hands together, forming them into a giant cannon. "Zeta Canon!"

In a bright flash of light, a large beam of energy shot out from the canon, crashing into the Lavagon virus and sending it flying. The rest of the class cheered as they watch X and Netto defeating wave after wave of the viruses swiftly.

"Programme Advance requires the NetNavi and the operator to be fully synchronized- a Full Synchro- to be successful, but it's real cool if you can get it to work!" Netto beamed, completely ignorant to the fuming scientist behind him. "There's also something called a Perfect Synchro! Wanna see what it does?"

The reaction from the class was ecstatic, and Netto steadied himself to enter into Perfect Synchro with X and Style Change. "Rockman X, Ultimate Sty-"

"That's enough!" Unable to watch any longer, Hub had rushed to the front of the room, grabbing a fistful of his younger sibling's hair and ignoring his confused and pained cries as he forced the boy to bow with him. "I'm so sorry about my brother's behavior! It won't happen again!"

His words did little to help the situation, and the scientist finally exploded with anger.

"Get out- All of you! This field trip is  _OVER!_ "

* * *

"Man, what a bummer…" Netto murmured. The boy and his group of friends were currently heading to the Metro Station after their field trip to SciLabs had been cut short.

"Really, Netto, you didn't have to rub it in after the first wave of viruses…" Maylu tried to scold him, but the girl ended up giggling when she thought about what had happened. "...Even though the face he made was really priceless in the end!"

The rest of the group nodded in agreement, expect for Hub, who wanted to bang his head against something.

"...Hey, nii-san?" Netto leaned over to Hub after a while, speaking in a low voice as their other friends were engaged in conversation. The elder Hikari sighed.

"What is it?"

"Why did you stop me?" Netto asked, seemingly genuinely confused. "Me and X were about to show everyone Style Change- It was gonna be so cool, too!"

"Firstly, you were being rude." Hub explained, trying to keep a level head. "Secondly, I don't think we should just go around flaunting our Style Changes to everyone."

"Eh?" The younger Hikari frowned. "Why not?"

"...Think about it." Hub met Netto's gaze. "Out of everyone we know, only a few know about Style Change, and those of them who do don't even think it's possible to perform it."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Don't you see? Gospel had been aiming to get our Style Changes after they'd realized we were able to perform it." Hub explained carefully. "What if someone else realizes that our Navies can Style Change and ends up doing something similar? We'll not only be getting into more trouble, but we'll be putting everyone around us in trouble as well!"

"..." The younger of the two twins fell quiet as he mulled over Hub's words. "...Okay. I guess you're right… But that's no fair! We spent so much time and effort getting and mastering it, and now we can't use it…"

"...I never said that we can't use it." Hub said. "...But, I think we should just use it, when we absolutely need to. Okay?"

"Yeah. Okay. Fine." Netto sighed. "But it's still a bummer."

"...Hey, hey, hey! Wait- Wait!"

Startled, the group of friends stopped and turned to where the voice had come from. Some strange man in a brightly coloured tuxedo and cowboy hat was quickly approaching them.

"You- You're Netto Hikari, aren't you?" The man addressed the younger of the two Hikari twins once he got close.

"E-eh?" The boy paused. "You… You know me?"

"Ah- You are! Oh, that's fantastic! Absolutely fantastic…!" The strange man seemed completely indulged in his own joy before he snapped back into awareness. "Oh! Where are my manners- I'm Sunayama, a famous TV producer!"

"What do you want?" Hub asked. Normally, he would be more polite, but the man appeared suspicious to him, with how he'd suddenly approached them out of nowhere.

The man just laughed his hostility off. "Well, I've only come to tell you that you've been invited to the second N1 Grand Prix!"

"Wh-what?" The group was shocked.

"Well, I don't suppose you'd know, since the official announcement hasn't been made yet, but since the first N1 Grand Prix turned out to be such a success, I was actually put in charge of producing the next N1 Grand Prix!" Sunayama laughed, taking yet another moment to indulge in his own pride. "Ha! With my directing and production skills, viewership is bound to shoot through the roof!"

"Wait a minute…" Even though the offer was very appealing, Netto was cautiously interested. "Why would you tell us, of all people, even before the official announcement?"

"Isn't it obvious?" The producer raised an eyebrow. "It's because you're one of the finalist last time! And your net battling skills are superb! Having you as one of the participants in the second season of the N1 Grand Prix is going to draw in crowds- I just know it!"

"W-well… If you put it that way…" Netto laughed, feeling slightly embarrassed despite the flattery.

"Just know that we've already reserved a place for you as this season's N1 Grand Prix, regardless of whether you decide to participate or not- Though I would be highly remosed if you refused!" Then, almost as if an afterthought, he turned to Hub and the rest of the group. "Of course, the rest of your friends are also welcomed to participate in the tournament, as well."

"Okay- I'll think about it!" Netto nodded, smiling.

"Good- Good!" Sunayama laughed once more. "Well- I still have a lot of work to do, but I'll be waiting for you at the second season of the N1 Grand Prix!" With that, he gave the group an overly-friendly smile, before leaving the Metro station.

From the cyberworld, Rockman was watching the entire scene play out. Now that the threat with Gospel was over, the blue Navi felt it was alright for him to visit the surface net once more.

"That man does not have kind intentions. I can feel it." He heard Shadowman spoke out from behind him.

"Or maybe you're just biased against people who aren't doom and gloom like you! Geez!" A second voice yelled out behind him, and Rockman didn't even need to look back to know that Shadowman was now scowling at Swallowman.

"It's alright." Rockman said, attempting to stop the argument he knew would happen between the two other Navies if he gave them the chance. "As long as we keep an eye on the tournament like last time, we can stop it before any bad things can happen."

"..." Shadowman appeared to have understood the implication behind Rockman's words, and fell quiet immediately. In contrast, Swallowman just shrugged.

"...Excuse me?" Rockman blinked. Looking up from the security feed of the Metro station, the blue Navi was surprised when he saw a Normal Navi approach him. "You're… You're Mega. The Blue Myth. Right?"

Alarmed, the two Navies behind him sprang into action, both of them stepping in front of Rockman, with Shadowman unsheathing his sword and pointing it at the Normal Navi, while Swallowman had his wings spread menacingly. "Guys…" Rockman wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry at the two of their reactions.

The Normal Navi raised his hands in a non-threatening way, but otherwise, didn't back down. "I don't mean any harm." The Navi said, calmly but firmly. "My operator would just like to speak with the Blue Myth."

"Mistress…?" Briefly, Shadowman looked back at him, silently asking for his decision.

"...It's okay, Shadowman." Rockman said. He couldn't sense any sort of hostility from the Normal Navi, and he did say his operator just wanted to talk… "I don't mind."

Upon hearing this, the Normal Navi sighed in relief. Then, in the very next moment, the holographic image of the Normal Navi's operator flickered to life, and Rockman gasped, nearly falling back in shock- He recognized him. It was someone he'd hadn't seen in over ten years.

"Y-you're…!"


	126. Chapter 108

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Yesterday was a shitstorm. I was booked from 7 in the morning to like 9 at night, and even when I got home it was like 12 already and I just wanted to die. It was the last day of the anime convention where we live, and we basically pretended to be reporters/workers lingering around the event long after it had been over to pick up any materials they were planning on throwing out anyways and hauling it back to our club room. Originally, we only planned on taking two things, but then we ended up grabbing more and more and I don't even want to know how we managed to get away with it. Shit.

_Six months after the successful first season of the N1 Grand Prix, the second season of the tournament promises to be even bigger and better than the first one! In preparation for the event, the tournament organizers have been working around the clock, and with the famous TV producer Noboru Sunayama in charge of the tournament's broadcast, net battling enthusiasts from all over the world are bound to tune in!_

_Feel like you have what it takes to out-battle the competition and win the title of champion of the second N1 Grand Prix? Go to your local central area in the cyberworld for signups now!_

"Huh…" Hub frowned, pondering out loud as he finished reading the message. "I guess it was real, after all…"

It was several days after their field trip to the virus laboratory, and the two Hikari twins were just lounging around in their room during the weekend when their PETs began beeping. The message had apparently been sent to everyone in Electopia.

"That's amazing!" Netto had been reading the message from his PET as well. "Just think about all of the opponents we'll face! I bet we can learn a thing or two from them!"

His elder sibling nodded idly. "Well, I suppose you're right…" He then looked up from his PET to face his younger sibling. "But six months of preparation for an event this large...?" He was abruptly interrupted when Netto's PET began beeping once more.

"Ah! Seems like another mail?" Netto mused, tapping the screen of his PET to open the second mail.

_Netto Hikair,_

_Hey! It's Sunayama! We talked in the Metro Station several days ago. So, I ain't pulling your leg, am I?_

_Anyways, if you're up for participating in the second season of N1 Grand Prix, you'll find a fast pass attached to this mail- Bring this to any signup station and you'll be good to go! You can feel free to bring any friends along, too!_

_Hope to see you at the tournament!_

"Hey- Cool!" Netto grinned, looking at his twin. "I guess this also means we can invite Maylu and the others as well!"

"I guess they'll be interested in joining this tournament as well." Hub nooded.

"Alright. It's settled, then!" The boy looked back to his PET. "X! Let's go to the central net area of Den City and see if we can find the other's there- Knowing them, they're probably at the signup station already!"

* * *

While there tended to be a lot more activity in the net area of Den City during the weekends, X and Zero quickly realized that they've seriously underestimated just how many people would end up interested in the tournament.

"There's Net Navies everywhere…!" X was having a hard time pushing through the huge crowd in the central net area of Den City.

"There's definitely a lot more people than the first time we joined the N1 Grand Prix." Zero nodded in agreement. "I guess thanks to how successful the first one ended up being, everyone else in Electopia also wants a shot in the tournament this time."

X fell quiet for a moment, remembering what had happened in the final battle in the tournament. For some reason, he couldn't help but think that some of the renown the N1 Grand Prix gained is in no small part due to the Blue Myth's appearance in the finale- What other tournament could proudly proclaim that their event had managed to garner the attention of an infamous Undernet NetNavi?

"Hey!" X's thought were interrupted when Zero nudged him gently to get his attention, then pointed towards the distance. "Look! Everyone's over there!"

The two Navies then quickly made their way towards the line, where Roll and the rest of the Navies were waiting. The pink Navi was the first to notice them approaching.

"X! Zero!" She smiled. "I knew it was just a matter of time before the two of you showed up!"

"And here I'd thought you were too scared to show up! Guts!" Gutsman proclaimed with pride and confidence.

"It's good to see you two too." X smiled back at the two of them.

"You two are joining this time as well?" Zero asked as he turned to Iceman and Glide. Iceman usually didn't have much time to hang out with the rest of them due to his presence being needed at waterworks sometimes, and Glide had sat the previous tournament out as the butler-like Navi wasn't quite programmed with fully functional combat capabilities like the rest of them.

"Well, Tohru and I kind of agreed that it would be a shame if we didn't at least try in the tournament…" Iceman explained, rubbing his hands together. "Who knows? Maybe we'll get even further than last time!"

"And Yaito-sama has recently purchased a collection of rare Battle Chips from overseas!" Glide was visibly beaming with pride when he said this. "She believes the tournament would be the perfect place to try out those chips!"

"That's great!" X was happy that the rest of his friends had decided to compete in the tournament as well. "Well, we've just received this fastpass from one of the producers of the second N1 Grand Prix-"

"Wh-what?" Roll was baffled. "Did you mean that man from several days ago?"

"Yeah. Him." Zero understood their skepticism. "X and I will head to the front of the line. If it's legitimate, we'll call you over so you can skip the line."

"That would be great!" Roll nodded, grinning. "Alright then. We'll wait for you two over here."

With that, X and Zero followed the line to the front, and even then, it took the two Navies much longer than expected to reach the front of the line. God knows how long the rest of the other Navies had been there for.

"Excuse me?" X said as he approached one of the programmes who seemed to be registering NetNavies for the tournament.

"AAH! NOT ALL AT ONCE!" The programme was visibly overwhelmed. "IF YOU'RE HERE FOR THE SIGNUPS, PLEASE JOIN THE LINE! WE'LL GET TO YOU EVENTUALLY!"

"W-well…" X felt slightly bad for causing the programme's discomfort. "We actually got this fastpass from one of the producers of the tournament, and we were wondering if it's valid…?"

"EH? A FASTPASS?" That got the programme's attention. It turned to X, extending one of its head appendages. "HERE, LET ME TAKE A LOOK AT IT."

Handing the programme the data file, X and Zero watched as the programme took the fastpass in one of its head appendages, while scanning it with its other. "HMM… UH-HUH… OH! I SEE!" After it's slightly mumblings, the programme addressed them once more. "SO YOU'RE X AND ZERO! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! THE EVENT ORGANIZERS HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT YOU NONE STOP!"

"Really?" X laughed, a bit embarrassed. He wasn't sure how to feel about that knowledge.

"IT'S TRUE!" The programme insisted, before he continued. "ANYWAYS! I'LL REGISTER THE TWO OF YOU AS COMPETITORS IN THE N1 GRAND PRIX NOW! I'VE ALSO CONTACTED OUR PRODUCERS, AND ONE OF THEM WILL BE HERE SHORTLY TO ASK SOME QUESTIONS- AN INTERVIEW, IF YOU WILL. I'M SURE MANY PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO HERE WHAT THE FINALIST OF THE PREVIOUS N1 GRAND PRIX HAS TO SAY ABOUT THIS TOURNAMENT!"

"Actually, the mail that came with this pass also told us we were free to invite our friends to the tournament as well." Zero spoke up, before the two of them could forget. "Can they use our fast pass to skip the line as well?"

"OF COURSE! JUST BRING THEM OVER AND I'LL REGISTER THEM AS COMPETITORS AS WELL!" As the programme said this, a low murmur was heard among the many surrounding NetNavies, some looking at them with admiration, while others in envy.

X and Zero ignored them. The two NetNavies merely giving each other a smile.

"Alright! I'll go get them. You stay here. I won't be long!" Zero said as he went back to the far end of the line to get the rest of their friends.


	127. Chapter 109

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Wow I actually don't want to do anything school related anymore haha.

Since Netto and X had been the one to make it to the finale, it was expected that the majority of the programmes conducting the interview were mostly focused on him.

"IT'S AMAZING TO HAVE ONE OF THE FINALISTS FROM THE PREVIOUS N1 GRAND PRIX JOINING US FOR THE SECOND SEASON!" One of the programmes said excitedly. "SO WHAT BRINGS YOU BACK TO THE N1 GRAND PRIX?"

"Uh…" X paused for a moment. He hadn't really put in much thought about it- He'd really just wanted to join just for the thrill of getting to battle and learn from other NetNavies. Luckily, his operator had his back on this one.

"That's simple! It's because we want to meet all sorts of strong net battlers all around Electopia!" The boy said, his voice brimming with enthusiasm. "And we're gonna show them who's the best at net battling- Right, X?"

The Navi nodded. "Yeah!"

"AH! WHAT SPIRIT! I CAN FEEL THE BOTH OF YOU BURNING WITH PASSION!" The programme jumped up and down briefly, before it continued. "MANY NET BATTLERS AROUND THE WORLD ARE JUST DYING TO KNOW- HOW DO YOU STAY ON TOP OF YOUR OPPONENTS DURING NET BATTLES? WHAT'RE YOUR STRATEGY?"

"Well... There isn't really a lot of strategy." X was the one to answer this time.

"E-EH?!" The programmed was shocked. "WH-WHAT DO YOU MEAN? SURELY YOU CAN'T GO INTO BATTLE WITHOUT AT LEAST SOME STRATEGY!"

"Of course not. That's not what I mean." The blue Navi clarified. "But different opponents have different ways of battling. While one strategy may work well for some, it might not work so well on others. So I guess that's why we don't really have a clear strategy we go for- We usually decide on one after confronting our opponent on the stage and know how they battle."

"OH! I SEE! SO YOUR STRATEGY TO VICTORY IS TO REMAIN VERSATILE IN BATTLE!" The programme nodded as it considered X's words. Then, it appeared to consider something. "AH- WELL, DON'T TAKE THIS THE WRONG WAY, BUT FROM WHAT WE'VE HEARD, IT SEEMS THAT NET BATTLER ENZAN AND HIS NETNAVI, BLUES HAVE PLANS TO ENTER THIS TOURNAMENT AS WELL!"

"Enzan and Blues?" X raised an eyebrow. He hadn't really considered that possibility, as the topic hadn't been brought up until now, but he supposed he should be so surprised that Enzan and Blues would enter into the second season of the tournament as well, considering how they were technically the winners of the previous tournament.

"WHILE THEY ARE THE CHAMPIONS OF THE FIRST N1 GRAND PRIX, FROM THE FOOTAGE, IT APPEARS THAT THE BATTLE HAD BEEN A CLOSE ONE!" The programme continued. "BUT THEY'VE SURELY GOTTEN A LOT STRONGER SINCE THEN! HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT POSSIBLY FACING THEM IN THE TOURNAMENT ONCE MORE?"

"Are you serious?" Netto wasn't deterred by this newfound knowledge at all. If anything, it appeared to have fired him up. "It's been so long since our last battle with Enzan and Blues! I can't wait to battle them again- We've grown more powerful since last time as well!"

"Right!" X nodded in agreement. "We won't back down from a powerful opponent!"

"WOW! AMAZING!" The programme jumped again. "WE CAN SURE LOOK FORWARD TO A MOST EXCITING AND INTENSE BATTLE NOW!"

The Navi smiled. Noticing that it didn't seem the programme wanted to ask any follow up questions, he assumed that that was the end of the interview, and had been about to make his way back to his group of friends waiting for him by the side when one of the programmes that had been seated behind the camera shot up towards him.

"S-SORRY TO BOTHER YOU!" The new programme said quickly. "BUT I HAVE A QUESTION I WANTED TO ASK, TOO!"

"A_J01! REALLY?!" The programme who had interviewed him prior seemed exasperated. "WE'RE NOT GOING TO ASK YOUR QUESTIONS!"

The programme known as A_J01 seemed desperate. It turned to X. "PLEASE! JUST ONE QUESTION?"

"Okay." X smiled. One question didn't seem to be asking much. "I don't mind."

"ALRIGHT! W-WELL…" The programme paused briefly, visibly attempting to calm itself. "OKAY… OKAY…" It then took a deep breath. "ARE… ARE YOU AND THE BLUE MYTH ACQUAINTED?"

X's face went blank, while the other programme absolutely exploded. "A_J01!"

The programme's yell was enough to snap him out of his shock. X quickly brought his hand up in front of him. "I- I can't answer that!"

The moment he'd said it, X wanted to slap himself across the face. He would've appeared a lot less suspicious if he had just answered "No.", and the programme, A_J01 seemed to have latched onto his dubious answer as well.

"D-DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE ACQUAINTED WITH HER, BUT YOU JUST CAN'T ACKNOWLEDGE IT OUT LOUD?!" The programme was exclaiming more than asking at this point. Then, a thought seemed to have went through its head. "WHY CAN'T YOU ADMIT IT? IS IT BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH-"

"ENOUGH!" With a swing, the other programme had struck A_J01 across the head with one of its head appendages. "CUT THAT PART OUT! WE'RE TRYING TO RUN AN OFFICIAL INTERVIEW HERE! NOT GOSSIP! GEEZE!" Then, it turned to X, the Navi still a bit embarrassed by the entire thing that had happened. "OH MY GOSH! I'M SO SORRY ABOUT THAT! ANYWAYS, THIS JUST ABOUT WRAPS UP THE INTERVIEW- WE ALL HOPE TO SEE YOU AT THE FIRST PRELIMINARIES!"

* * *

"Man… That was so weird…"

The two Navies were now heading back home from the central net area, and X still couldn't shake how surreal the experience had been. He knew that, to others, Mega was just a fabled Undernet NetNavi, even if he himself didn't necessarily see her as just that. But he hadn't realized that people had taken note of his interactions with her, and how they would perceive such interactions between a surface Navi and an Undernet Navi.

"Don't think about it too much." Zero told him, sighing. "I'm not sure where they got the idea from, but it won't matter when they realize it's not true."

"I suppose so…" X trailed off. Then, the blue Navi blinked when he noticed a slight grinding and shuffling sound in front of them. He looked around, but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, or anyone approaching them. "Zero… Is it just me, or do you hear that…?"

"I hear it, too." Zero said, appearing just as confused as his companion. "It… It sounds like someone's digging…"

The two NetNavies gave each other a brief look, before they looked down, and saw the slight bump on the datapath they were on. "What…?"

Then, the path underneath them bursted, small amount of debris and rubble shooting everywhere, and the two Navies coughed as the dust from the small explosion was sent flying.

"Who-" Zero was the first to react. He summoned his sword, prepared for an ambush, before he recognized the figure as the dust gradually begin to fade. "Wh… What…?"

The sight before him was so absurd that the red Navi nearly didn't resist the urge to laugh- Having emerged from the data path was the form of Beep the Mettaur, sitting on top of the now Spikey-sized Scuttlest. The two viruses appeared to observe their surroundings for a moment, before their eyes fell upon X, who had been knocked back by the shock.

Instantly, the two viruses leapt- Beep taking X's left ankle while Scuttlest bit onto X's other leg, and the two viruses began to drag the Navi into the pit where they'd emerged from. Panicked, X only had a moment to look back towards his companion, screaming, "Zero!" before he disappeared into the pit entirely.

"X!" Alarmed, Zero leapt after the other Navi without thinking, and fell down the long tunnel into the depths below.


	128. Chapter 110

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Cut out about 300 labels and stuck them on 300 membership cards in preparation for orientation day at our school. At least this is good practice for any future crafts I might want to do.

"Oof!"

As he neared the end of the tunnel, X fell onto the ground with a thump, Beep and Scuttlest leaping out from the passage they made just moments later. As the blue Navi gradually got up and dusted himself off, he realized that he was no longer in the surface net- The two viruses that had dragged him down into the pit had brought him to some place within the Underent for some reason, by the looks of it.

"X!" The holographic image of his operator flicker to life, the boy visibly worried. "What happened? Your location in the cyberworld just changed suddenly!"

"I'm fine." X replied as he observed his surroundings. "Beep and Scuttlest just brought me to the Undernet, somehow."

"Beep and Scuttlest? Mega's viruses?" Netto asked, his eyes wide with surprise. "Why would they do that?"

X was about to answer, when he heard another series of shuffling sound coming from behind him. As he turned, he saw Zero emerging from the tunnel he had just moments prior. "X, are you alright?" The other Navi asked as he approached him.

"I'm fine- He-hey!" X was cut short when Scuttlest had bitten his ankle, yanking at the Navi and nearly pulling him off balance. "Stop that! What's your deal?"

"I'm not sure…" Now that Zero was in the Undernet as well, Hub also had a clear view of what was happening from the screen of his PET. "But it looks like it wants us to follow it?"

"Do you think so?" Netto was still a bit uncertain as he watched the bug-like virus making frantic chattering noises at them as it dug one of its appendages into the ground, clawing repeatedly.

"Only one way to find out, I guess?" Hub pondered out loud. X and Zero gave each other a nod, before the blue Navi allowed himself to be dragged away by Scuttlest, the virus still making clicking noises as it led X to where it wanted them to go. The group of two NetNavies and virus walked for a while in the Undernet area, until they came out to some sort of cliffside, where Beep seemed to have dug out something from the sudden steep inclination and was waiting for them.

"Huh?" Beep was making chirping sounds as X approaches the strange thing the Mettaur dug out- It appeared to be some sort of box, meant to keep data inside. It was quite large in size, and X wasn't sure how the two viruses even managed to dig it out in the first place- The box was even larger than he was.

Zero placed a hand on the surface of the box. He turned to the two viruses, and saw that Scuttlest was biting at one of the edges of the container, while Beep had its pickaxe lodged underneath the cover, attempting to get it off. "Did you seriously bring us all the way to the Undernet just to help you open this thing?"

The two viruses promptly ignored him, and Zero winced when he heard the sound of scratching metal as Scuttlest bit into the container once more, but even so, the bug like virus didn't appear to have been able to put even a scratch on it.

"I don't know what it is, but it seems important…" X wondered out loud as he watched Beep repeatedly knocking on the lid of the container with its pickaxe. Quietly, the blue Navi grabbed onto the lid, but was surprised when the box remained closed when he attempted to pull the lid off. He yanked on the cover with more force this time, but the container remained shut. "Zero! A little help here?"

His companion grabbed the other side of the lid. "On three. One, two-"

The two Navies pulled simultaneously. Taking note of their actions, the two viruses joined in, pulling on the lid as well, but the contained still remained shut.

"Damn! What's this thing made out of?" Zero asked, frustrated when the group of NetNavies and viruses were still unable to pry the contained open. He summoned his sword, stabbing the container with it, but the sword just snapped in half as he swung it down onto it. "W-what?"

"It doesn't seem like we'll be able to get this thing open…" Hub sighed, scratching the side of his head.

"No- We can! We just hadn't tried all of our options yet!" Grinning, Netto closed his eyes in concentration. "Rockman X, Ultimate Style!"

Shocked, Hub was unable to stop his younger sibling when he and his NetNavi entered into Perfect Synchro, the blue Navi turning into his Ultimate Style in a flash of light.

"This should do it!" X and Netto yelled in unison. Already knowing where this was going, Zero, Scuttlest and Beep quickly scrambled out of the way just as X brought the two of his hands together, forming a gigantic canon. "Zeta Canon!"

Dust and smoke was sent flying everywhere as X shot the container point blank. Coughing, X canceled out of his Ultimate Style as he fanned the smoke away. Taking the lid of the container once more, the blue Navi was pleased to find that the cover came off easily with a soft yank this time, having been weakened by his previous attack.

"Alright! I've got it open!" X beamed as he turned back to the rest of his companions briefly, before turning back to the now-opened container, gasping in shock when he saw what was inside.

"Wh-what…?"

Then, X immediately leaned forward, catching the familiar cloaked figure before she could fall to the ground. Beep and Scuttlest leapt forward instantly, both of them making nervous and concerned sounds as he approached X and the fallen Navi.

Zero was visibly startled and in disbelief by what he had just saw as well. "X… Is that…?"

"It is." X acknowledged. "It's Mega." He looked at the two viruses quietly. Now he knew why the two of them were so determined to get him and Zero to help get the container open, but why was the Blue Myth even in it to begin with…?

Before any of them could say anything, a loud thud was heard just behind the group, and the two NetNavies turned to see Shadowman and Swallowman looking panicked and somewhat disheveled as the two groups stared at each other for a moment.

"Shit." Finally, Swallowman had broken the silence. "So that's where she's been the past several days."


	129. Chapter 111

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Am going to pick up the packages of paper bags tomorrow and do random stuff with my other club members. I still need to buy batteries for my tablet, though. I got the wrong size today when I went to the store. Damn.

Upon seeing the NetNavi who had tried to deleted them not once, but twice, X and Zero's instinctive reaction was to summon their weapons and pointing them at Swallowman, the bird Navi wasting no time ducking behind Shadowman.

"Geeze. Something tells me they don't really like us." Swallowman murmured softly behind the shadow Navi.

"..."

Calmly, Shadowman swatted Swallowman's hands away and stepped aside. X and Zero's weapons remained trained on Swallowman, and it took the bird Navi several moments of awkward staring to fully comprehend the situation.

"Waitwaitwaitwaitwait!" The bird Navi began to wave his hands frantically. "I'm not the enemy here!"

"He's with me." Shadowman sighed begrudgingly as he walked closer towards where X had laid down Mega- The cloaked Navi was still unconscious on the ground.

"What?" X blinked, his aim faltering slightly but still refusing to let his guard down around the bird Navi. "How did that happen?"

"He's a mercenary who's tried to kill us- twice!" Zero added, his sword glimmering with a dangerous tint.

"I realize that." Shadowman said and he knelt down besides the cloaked Navi. "But that is a story I would rather not get into as of this moment." Then, the shadow Navi gave Beep and Scuttlest a quick glance. "...So this is what you had attempted to tell us…"

Scuttlest snarled, while Beep just stared at him with a blank, slightly annoyed expression.

Slowly, X began to lower his weapon when it was apparent that Swallowman wouldn't attempt to attack him or his companion. He looked back to where Shadowman was kneeling besides Mega. "What happened? We just found her trapped inside of that container over there… And she doesn't seem to be waking up even though we've gotten her out of there…"

"It appears to be some sort of powerful sleep programme." Shadowman mused as he carefully observed the cloaked Navi. He took out a small needle. "Just a moment…"

Reaching behind Mega's neck, Shadowman pricked the back of her neck with the needle, the sleeping Navi jerking awake, gasping in shock almost immediately. "Mistress." Shadowman reached out, taking the cloaked Navi's hand to steady her.

"Sh-Shadowman…?" The Blue Myth was visibly dazed, still attempting to get ahold of the situation.

As the shadow Navi helped her to her feet, X and Zero turned their attention towards the Blue Myth, completely forgetting about Swallowman at this point.

"Mega… I'm glad you're alright." X gave the cloaked Navi a soft smile. "But what happened to you? Why were you trapped in there?"

There was a short pause, where Mega looked to the side, looking at the container they'd just pulled her out of with a dubious expressed, before she looked down, mumbling softly to herself. "So it wasn't a dream…"

Before X could ask for clarification, the cloaked navi had turned back to him. "...Thanks for getting me out of there. I don't know how long I would've been trapped in there otherwise."

"W-well…" X avoided eye contact, suddenly embarrassed. "It's nothing, really. Beep and Scuttlest had been the one to find you, anyways. Zero and I didn't even realized it was you in there until we got the container open…"

"I see." The Blue Myth said, her tone strained and a lot harsher than she would usually speak, and X somehow caught onto that instantly. Something wasn't quite alright with Mega, and though X didn't have the slightest clue of what it was, it unnerved him greatly to know something was troubling the Blue Myth.

From what he'd witnessed, Mega hadn't even so much as flinched when she had to face Gospel and the Black Shadow head-on. He couldn't even begin to imagine what had the Blue Myth so concerned all of a sudden.

"Mega- What happened?" X blurted out before he could stop himself.

The cloaked Navi blinked, seemingly startled by his question. "What?"

"It's just-" X paused abruptly, fighting off a blush as he forced himself to continue- Gosh, he hoped he didn't come off as pushy or anything. "I-it's just, you seemed worried about something… If it's something I can help with…!"

"...Thanks, X." Mega offered the blue Navi a small smile, but somehow, X was able to tell that it had been forced. "I appreciate your kindness. But this isn't something you should get involved into. I… I have to deal with this. By myself." Then, she gave a quick glance towards Shadowman and Swallowman. "Let's go."

"W-wait!" X couldn't help but yell as he saw the group of Undernet NetNavies about to leave. "Who- Who did this to you?" He didn't doubt Mega's ability, but the Blue Navi at least wanted to know something- Even if he couldn't help, he could actively try to stay out of trouble on the off chance he happened to run into the person who had trapped the Blue Myth.

Mega paused mid-step, the rest of the NetNavies merely looking towards her quietly as she appeared to contemplate X's question, before she finally sighed.

"...The Black Shadow. He did this to me." Mega didn't even turn back when she answered his question. Her voice was quivering, but in fear or rage, X couldn't quite tell. "...Do not confront him. I'll deal with him myself."

With that, X and Zero watched on in shock as the Undernet Navies swiftly left the area, the two viruses following quickly behind them.

"...The Black Shadow?" Zero was cautiously doubtful at the newfound knowledge. "As in, the Black Shadow who's slaughtered thousands of Navies across the net?"

"It's not that hard to imagine." X frowned as he pondered aloud. "Remember what Sean had said about him? About how he's hunting the Blue myth down for her powers?" He gave Zero a solomon look at this. "And Enzan even mentioned that it wasn't the first time the two of them had confronted each other in the past."

"And you think he's only beginning to get serious now?" Zero asked, still unsure of what to believe.

"I don't know." X acknowledged- He still didn't have enough information to piece together what he believed would be the accurate truth, and what he'd said up till now had been mostly his own thoughts and interpretations, given the situation. "But… But there's something, something I can't help but feel would happen."

"And what is that?"

"I… I don't know why, but…" X swallowed, steadying himself before he continued. "For some reason, I feel like we'll run into the Black Shadow. Sooner or later."


	130. Chapter 112 (Recollection 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Considering the workload, I probably won't be able to update on 9/8 and 10/8, which sucks. I also need to work out which subjects I plan on taking for the next academic year because I still have not idea what I wanted to take. Everyone else has friends to register into the same subject so I just end up asking around for the ones that are "good grades" for my GPA.

"You're… Doctor Cossack…!"

Rockman couldn't believe his eyes. The man looked much older than he remembered, but there was no doubt in his mind that the holographic image before him was Cossack. The scientist who had created the world's first fully independent NetNavi- Forte's father.

Before him, Shadowman and Swallowman turned back to him in shock and confusion. "Mistress, you know who this man is…?"

Recovering from the initial surprise, Rockman looked at the two other NetNavies. "Shadowman, Swallowman. Step down."

"What?" The bird Navi raised an eyebrow. "You want us to leave you with mister shady over here? Seriously?"

He merely gave Swallowman a look. While Rockman wasn't sure what Cossack's sudden reappearance meant, especially after the man had disappeared for ten years straight, he had a suspicion that whatever Cossack's motivation was, it had something to do with Forte, and as much as he trusted Shadowman and Swallowman, the blue Navi wasn't comfortable with the two of them being present in the scenario where he did end up discussing matters regarding his mate in front of them. "I'll be fine. You two go ahead to the Undernet. I'll follow once I'm done here."

Swallowman still appeared hesitant, but a quickly glare from Shadowman was enough motivation for the bird Navi to log out of the area, the Undernet NetNavi disappearing in a flash of fading data, while Shadowman disappearing in a small puff of smoke.

"...I wasn't aware that you already knew of me…" Cossack sighed once the two Undernet NetNavies had left. "I suppose that means you already have an idea of what I wanted to ask you of."

Rockman nodded, his look stern. "It's about Forte, isn't it?"

The doctor laughed, though he sounded resigned as he did so. "Well, I'm not sure how you knew, but it sure speeds things up quite a bit."

"Before that, I have something I want to ask you as well, doctor Cossack." Rockman said, frowning slightly.

"Hn." Cossack smiled. "Well, if I am knowledgeable of it, then I shall answer to the best of my abilities."

"As you said, I already know of your connection with Forte." Rockman began, trying to keep his voice calm and leveled as he remembered past events. "While you were the one who created Forte, I know you two share a bond much deeper than that of creator and creation. If I had to describe it, doctor Cossack, I'd say you saw Forte as your son, didn't you?"

When the man remained silent, Rockman continued. "I… I also know what happened at SciLabs."

"The Alpha Incident?" The scientist asked, and Rockman blinked. He wasn't aware that was what the incident was called.

"When the incident at SciLabs happened, Forte was blamed for being responsible for something he hadn't done." Rockman's eyes narrowed. He could still remember vividly when the entirety of SciLab's security force had confronted Forte and attempted to delete the dark Navi in his weakened state- In this timeline, he'd been fortunate enough to be able to push Forte out of the way before anything bad could have happened to him, but the blue Navi shuddered to think what had ended up befalling the Forte from his original timeline.

"...When he needed you the most, you disappeared!" As this series of thoughts crossed his mind, Rockman couldn't help but raise his voice despite his attempts to remain calm. It wouldn't do him any good to get irrationally angry, but he just couldn't help himself. "So why are you only appearing now- After all these years?"

"..." Cossack regarded him silently for several long moments, before he sighed. "...I suppose this was inevitable." He said this, more so to himself, before he addressed Rockman. "I need your help- But I suppose it was inevitable I would have to explain myself before you would agree to anything."

"I know nothing I say can change what had happened, and I am in no way trying to excuse my actions ten years ago." The man clarified before he continued. "I am merely attempting to retell what had occured when I disappeared all those years ago."

"When I first realized what was happening in the cyberworld inside of SciLab's computers, I did the only thing I could think of." Doctor Cossack began, explaining his experience. "I took my PET and attempted to plug into the computer's systems- I thought that if I could get to Forte before anyone else could, I could take him somewhere safe, until after the entire incident had blown over."

"However, as I was logging into the systems, I was caught by the officials." The regret and guilt was clearly apparent in the scientist's voice as he continued. "Despite my protests, they arrested me on the spot with charges of obstructing justice. They sent me to jail, and I was unable to do anything about it."

"When I was finally released, I was made to believe that Forte had been deleted during the incident." Cossack sighed. Rockman's gaze gradually softened as he continued to listen to the scientist's explanation. While he highly doubted that Cossack had intentionally left Forte to be deleted considering their close bond, it was good to have his suspicion confirmed by the man himself. "I combed through all of SciLab's computers, attempting to find any traces of Forte, but I found none."

"So that's what happened to you during the Alpha Incident…?" Rockman wasn't sure what to think. If that was true, then the entire thing had really just been a huge misunderstanding.

"Hm." Cossack nodded. "It was only when I stumbled upon the footage of him confronting Gospel did I realize that he was still alive."

The scientist paused briefly, as if he himself was struggling to keep his composure. "I know I don't have the right to ask for forgiveness, and I'm in no condition to be asking favors from you-" Cossack chuckled humorlessly as he said this. "I don't even know what your relationship with my son is, but from what I can tell, you've been the only one to have been able to confront him multiple times and survive."

Rockman looked away slightly to hide his blush. So not even Cossack knew of his true relationship with Forte. "What is it that you wanted to ask of me?"

As he said that, a soft light glowed in front of him. Once it faded, Rockman saw what appeared to be some sort of programme hovering before him.

"...This is a programme I've made." Cossack explained. "If you can, please take it to Forte."

Rockman reached out, taking the small programme in his palm. "What does it do?"

"The programme is directly connected to my PET." The scientist said. "So if he chooses to…"

"Forte can return to you." Rockman realized, even before Cossack could finished explaining. The scientist merely nodded as he regarded the blue Navi closely.

Rockman felt torn as he watched the programme pulse softly in his palm. On the one hand, he was relieved that Cossack hadn't betrayed Forte in his time of need, and he was happy that Forte was going to be given an opportunity to go back to his life prior to becoming an Undernet Navi, yet somehow, Rockman couldn't help but feel worried- He wasn't sure what Forte would do, but what if he accepted? He used to berate the dark Navi for being overly worried of Rockman abandoning him if the blue Navi was given the chance to return to his previous life, but now that the roles were reversed, Rockman was beginning to see where Forte's concern and insecurity had come from.

"Okay- I'll do it." Rockman said before he could refuse. "I'm… I'm not sure how he would react, but I'll make sure to get this programme to him. I promise."

Cossack visibly relaxed- Rockman's prior silence must have unnerved him greatly. He smiled. "...Thankyou. That's all I can ask for."

"...Mistress?"

Rockman blinked- Shaking the memories from several days prior from his mind, he turned to Shadowman. "What is it?"

"...I am… concerned about you, my Mistress." Even after all this time, Shadowman still had a hard time outwardly expressing his concern for the blue Navi. "Ever since we found you… You've been deep in your own thoughts."

Silently, Rockman looked down at his palm- He was still holding the programme that doctor Cossack had given him.

"...Was it true?" Shadowman asked him once more. "That it was your mate who had trapped you in there?"

"..."

Rockman clutched the programme in his hand tightly. "...It's true." He admitted. Rockman had no idea how or why it had happened- There was nothing that had tipped the blue Navi off to being out of the ordinary, and he had just been about to bring out the programme to the dark Navi when Forte had suddenly turned on him and knocked him unconscious.

There was one thing he was certain of, though- Cossack's sudden reappearance and Forte going rouge, it couldn't possibly just be a coincidence. There had to be a connection between them, and Rockman was going to figure out what it was.


	131. Extra 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Woke up today and my arms hurt. Probably didn't help that I spent 30 minutes yesterday hauling around a heavy package in preparation for the registration period. Also, i gotta register for the subjects I want to take tomorrow. Rip. Anyways, this extra chapter occurs sometime after the beginning of chapter 13 and before the end of the same chapter, also during the years when the twins were growing up.

"Mega, you have to let go."

"No! This is insane, Forte!"

Rockman yelped when Forte turned abruptly. The two Navies were currently afloat mid-air, not an unneglectable distance from the ground with Rockman clinging onto Forte by desperately grasping onto the dark Navi's cloak.

Forte looked down at the blue Navi, conflicted on whether to laugh or sigh at how he was acting. "You can't hold on forever. You have to let go of me sometimes."

The blue Navi's eyes widened, and Forte felt his grip tighten. "You're just going to let me fall to my deletion?!"

"There's no need to be dramatic." Forte shrugged nonchalantly. "You can levitate, too."

"..."

Rockman just buried his face into the dark Navi's cloak. While it was true that he had indeed gained the ability to levitate after discovering by pure accident when he nearly fell off the side of a cliff, there was just one problem about this- He wasn't very well accustomed to using levitation at all. Having spent the majority of his functioning life grounded and walking everywhere on foot, Rockman never really found the need or the desire to get used to levitating like Forte had, the dark Navi having mastered that ability not long after he himself had acquired it.

"As much as I would like to, you do realize that I can't possibly carry you everywhere." Forte told Rockman calmly as the blue Navi was still dangling from his cloak. "The Undernet is littered with unstable pathways, Mega. If you want to get anywhere, You'll have to master this ability, sooner or later."

"Alright- Fine! I see your point!" Perhaps unnerved by his current predicament of just being one slip away from falling, Rockman felt the need to yell back at Forte despite the two Navi's close proximity to each other. "But did you really need to get it across like this?" As if to emphasize, Rockman kicked both his feet in the air. "It's dangerous! What if I fell?"

"I won't intentionally let anything happen to you. You know that." Forte said sternly, before his tone shifted to one that was more amused. "Besides- I prefer to call this motivation. I believe we both know you'd be lying if you'd said you'll figure it out yourself eventually."

"I…" The rebuttal was just on the tip of his tongue, but Rockman trailed off when he allowed himself to think over what Forte had said, realizing that he had indeed been making excuses for not using or practising levitation with the reasoning that he'd be able to achieve the same purpose of going from one place to another by walking anyways, and it was only when Forte had gone and done this entire stunt of plucking him from the ground and promoting the blue Navi to levitate himself back to the ground did he abruptly realize how ill equipped he was to navigate the Undernet.

"...Okay. You win." Rockman admitted that Forte knew him well enough to win that part of their argument, even if a bit unwillingly. "But I just don't know how to do it like you can. It's all weird, and it feels off."

"It's not that difficult if you just try it, Mega." Sensing his change in attitude, Forte took Rockman's hand, allowing the blue Navi to cling onto his arm as he held him so that Rockman was now floating besides him. "The way it works isn't all that far off from walking. You would exert a constant amount of energy to move in both cases, and levitation differs from walking in the way that you're not just exerting that energy through your feet and legs."

Rockman blinked, giving Forte a look. "That doesn't even make any sense!" He couldn't even wrap his mind about what the other Navi had just said- How was walking and levitating even remotely similar to each other?

"Here." Taking both of Rockman's hands, Forte extended his arms outwards, so that Rockman was 'standing' in the air just arms length from him, the dark Navi keeping the other Navi afloat through their joined hands. "Close your eyes." When Rockman hesitated, Forte merely repeated his words once more. "I'm not going to let you fall. You can trust me on that."

Slowly, Rockman closed his eyes, his grip on Forte's hand tightening as he did so. True to his words, the dark Navi merely held onto him. "Now imagine that you're standing on solid ground."

"But I'm not." Rockman argued.

"Imagine if you  _were_." Forte insisted. "When you walk, there's this solid weight that's just underneath your feet, isn't there?" He gently prompted the blue Navi when he felt Rockman's unease and confusion. "I want you to try and replicate that feeling. Imagine yourself pushing back against that weight. That's how levitation works."

Frowning, Rockman fell quiet. He still wasn't quite confident in his abilities to simulate that feeling when he knew he was clearly in the air, but he did his best to recall how it felt to be on solid ground- It wasn't an easy task, considering the ability to walk had been second nature to him, and the blue Navi doubted he could even begin to describe how walking felt like if he tried.

Apparently, he had been doing something right, however, as he heard Forte hum with approval. "Good. Now, I'm going to let go of your left hand- Slowly." As he said this, the dark Navi gave Rockman's left hand a gentle squeeze. "I'll still be holding onto your right hand, so you're not going to fall, alright?"

"O-okay. I got it."

"Good." Rockman could almost hear the nod in Forte's voice. "Keep your eyes closed for me, will you?"

Keeping a tight grip on one of Forte's hand, Rockman allowed himself to let go of Forte's other hand. It was slightly nerve-wracking for the blue Navi, to contain his fear and unease and attempt to remain calm while he allowed himself to be suspended mid air by just his right hand.

"That's it. You're doing so good for me, Mega." Forte praised him. "Now, just hold still for me…"

The blue Navi was momentarily confused by his words, before he felt Forte cup his cheek with his hand, tilting his head upwards and kissed him. Rockman froze completely. Unlike many other times before, this kiss was soft and chaste instead of demanding or passionate, and it left Rockman's mind blank besides from the stunned feeling of what had just occurred.

"...Hm. You're doing quite well." Rockman heard the other Navi spoke once more after a long moment of silence.

"What?" Rockman reopened his eyes, baffled by what Forte had meant. "What do you-"

The blue Navi trailed off when he saw the slight smirk on the other's face, before he realized what was happening- Forte was floating with both his arms crossed in front of him.

Realization slammed into him instantly, and Rockman fell forward with a yelp. Forte caught him before the blue Navi could fall down onto the ground below.

"You said you wouldn't let go!" Rockman didn't quite resist the urge to scream this time, his face blushing red with embarrassment and slight anger that he'd been tricked like that.

"I said I wouldn't let you fall." Forte tilted his head briefly as he clarified. "Which I didn't, did I?"

Huffing, Rockman looked away, still sour that Forte had fooled him, even if he knew Forte hadn't meant him any harm by it. "...I would like to be returned on solid ground right about now."

The other Navi didn't protest this time. Levitating the two of them softly onto the ground, Forte took ahold of Rockman's hand once more as he smiled. "You've gotten a lot better at levitating, even if you still need a lot more practise to be skill with it- But I wouldn't mind holding your hand until then, Mega."


	132. Chapter 113 (N2 Grand Prix)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Oh my god it's been several days since I wrote for LGOTN and so much stuff has happened IRL, and it first began with the registration period for the newly enrolled students in our school, where I was the only one who came to get the metal bars and poles to set up our booth for the recruitment period, the server of the website that all of the students use for registering courses for the semester completely crashing because so many people were logging in at 2 pm sharp to get into the courses they want, and then the actual registration period itself and then four of the other cabinet members staying until 1 am at school for the cleanup- It's just too much stuff for me to put into the beginning here. Man, what a fun several days off.

" _Last time on the N1 Grand Prix, a new breed of virus has been unleashed onto the cyberworld, wreaking havoc wherever they are rampant- Thankfully, brave Net Battlers from all over Electopia have stepped forward despite the danger, battling valiantly against these viruses and pushing this threat on network society back!"_

Zero yawned as he leaned back into his seat. It had already been several weeks since the second N1 Grand Prix tournament- affectionately dubbed by its fans as the "N2"- began, and he and X had yet to actually take part and fight in a match. While the red Navi understood that the number of participants taking part in the N2 had more than tripled since the first tournament, it still didn't help the suspence and boredom he felt waiting for their first official match in the tournament. That, however, still wasn't the most concerning part of the entire thing for Zero.

As the video data of one of the previous episodes of the N2 played on screen, Zero cringed when one of the NetNavies let out an obviously over-emphasized yell, before jumping into the group of pink and purple Mettaur viruses, the red Navi highly suspecting that their discolouration was done intentionally by the producers of the N2 by messing with their pigment and hex colour data, and not caused by the fact that these Mettaur viruses were indeed a newly mutated, stronger version of the common Mettaurs found all over the common net.

"How are they alright with airing this stuff?" Zero couldn't help but ask out loud. "The acting is so bad, I can't believe that anyone would think it's real." At this, the red Navi frowned and crossed his arms, huffing slightly in frustration and confusion. "Isn't the N2 supposed to be a tournament, anyways? So why are they making this out to be some sort of reality TV shtick?"

"I'm not sure myself…" Hub had been watching the video file along with his sibling and their Net Navies as well. "But from what I've heard, it's a decision made by their TV producers."

"Eh?" Netto turned to his elder sibling. "You mean that Sunayama guy?"

Hub nodded. "Apparently, he thought that the tournament would be a lot more interesting if it's presented as some sort of reality show."

"Perhaps if they got better actors…" X winced as he watched another one of the participants striking an awkward pose. "This is almost painful to watch…"

"For someone who's more knowledgeable about Net Battling, it'd be really obvious to tell when they're doing things just for the cameras or exaggeration, yes." Hub agreed, but his tone was slightly thoughtful. "Though from what I've seen from the ratings of the N2, the viewership rate is at least four times than it had been in the N1- and that's even when comparing the N1's finale to the N2's first week after debuting."

"What?" Netto gave his sibling a disbelieving look. "You mean to tell me that people are more interested in bad acting than actual Net Battling?"

"N-no! That's not what I'm trying to say!" Hub quickly realized that his younger sibling was most likely offended by the implication that his efforts to become better and stronger as a Net Battler could be brushed aside so easily. "But you have to admit, the N1 was heavily aimed towards an audience that's already highly invested in Net Battling- or, at the very least, interested in Net Battling as a whole. And while the tournament was a success among the Net Battling community, it's a bit alienating against other communities, or people who aren't as knowledgeable about Net Battling in general." The elder Hikari carefully attempted to explain his thought process to his younger sibling. "While I also don't agree with the producers' decision to make the N2 out to be some sort of reality show… It's a lot easier for the general public to get involved, and people don't actually need to be heavily invested in Net Battling to understand what's going on if there's an actual story to the tournament itself." Hub concluded, nodding to himself. "Say what you will about Sunayama, but the guy's reputation as one of the most famous TV producer is definitely earned."

"Hmph…" Hub's attempt at comforting his younger sibling appeared to have worked, though Netto was still visibly annoyed by the whole ordeal. "I still can't believe they'd fall for such crummy actors."

"Well, it could be worse." Hub smiled. "We could have been stuck doing the very things these competitors are doing in the first preliminaries instead of being able to skip directly to the second round of preliminaries with the Fast Pass that producer gave you."

Netto shivered at his words. "Man. If you put it like that, then we've really dodged a bullet, haven't we?" Then, a sudden thought crossed the younger boy's mind, and he paled. "Wait a minute! What if the second round of it is just as bad? Or worse?!"

Hub shrugged, humming to himself as he sifted through the messages in his PET. "I guess we'll find out soon enough."

* * *

"OH! YOU TWO ARE HERE! JUST IN TIME TOO!"

As X and Zero neared the location they were pointed towards in the emails they received, the two Net Navies quickly recognized the two programmes waiting for them as the very two that had interviewed X during the initial sign-ups for the tournament.

"Oh- I wasn't expecting you two!" X smiled, greeting the two programmes politely. "You're A_J01 and…?"

"MY SERIAL CODE IS B_K37!" The programme known as B_K37 chirped excitedly. Besides him, A_J01 was holding some sort of video recording device in his head appendages, directing it at X and Zero as the two of them approached.

"Finally- I've been dying for some action!" Zero sighed, stretching slightly. "So, where's our opponent? We're not going to fight in the common area of the net, are we?"

"OH, NO NO NO! YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE FIGHTING THE OTHER COMPETITORS!" B_K37 said, waving his head appendages.

"What?" Zero raised an eyebrow. "The N2's a tournament, isn't it? There can't be a tournament without any net battles!"

"OF COURSE THERE WILL BE NET BATTLES- BUT AS OF YET, THE PRELIMINARIES ARE STILL TASK-BASED!" B_K37 explained. "YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND- THE NUMBER OF COMPETITORS IN THE N2 IS SO MUCH GREATER THAN THAT OF THE N1! IT'LL BE DIFFICULT TO KEEP AUDIENCE RETENTION IF WE JUST HAD NET BATTLE AFTER NET BATTLE! WE'RE TRYING TO SPICE THINGS UP UNTIL THE STRONGEST NET NAVIES HAVE BEEN PICKED OUT- THEN, THE BATTLE BETWEEN THE STRONGEST NET NAVIES CAN TRULY BEGIN!"

Zero had been about to argue, when X placed a hand on his shoulder. It wouldn't do them any good to argue on what had already been decided, and it was apparent that X believed it was better for the two of them to focus on the preliminaries so that they can get to the actual Net Battles against other Net Navies. "Alright then. What's our task?"

"WELL, NORMALLY, I'D SAY THAT THIS TASK REQUIRES GREAT SKILL AND STRENGTH, BUT CONSIDERING THE TWO OF YOUR HISTORY WITH NET BATTLING, I'D SAY YOU'D HAVE NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT!" B_K37 assured them. "A ROUGE NAVI IS CURRENTLY WREAKING HAVOC IN THE CENTRAL AREA OF DEN CITY! YOUR TASK IS TO FIND HIM AND DELETE HIM TO PUT AN END TO HIS EVIL REGIME!"

"EIGHT OTHER TEAMS HAVE ALSO BEEN GIVEN THIS TASK AS WELL!" A_J01 also piped up. "TO ADVANCE IN THE TOURNAMENT, YOU HAVE TO GET TO THE EVIL NAVI FIRST AND DEFEAT HIM IN COMBAT!" As the programme spoke, it couldn't quite resist to swing its head appendages around, nearly hitting B_K37 in the head with the video recording device. "ME AND B_K37 WILL BE FOLLOWING AND RECORDING YOUR JOURNEY THE ENTIRE WAY, SO BE SURE TO KICK ALL OF THE OTHER COMPETITOR'S ASS, OKAY?! I'LL BE ROOTING FOR YOU TWO!"


	133. Chapter 114

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Finished drawing the Swimsuit prints for Alia, Layer and Pallette for an artist alley event that I'll be joining in December. My friend wanted to go, but she didn't have enough products to fill the entire table, so she wanted to split the table and the cost with me and another friend. Normally, Megaman stuff isn't really all that popular over here where I live, but I'm hoping with the Megaman 11 hype and the Megaman X Legacy Collections, maybe I can get some people interested in my art through that. Besides, I just really like Megaman in general and don't feel like drawing much of anything else. Rip.

"With the light as guidance, we shall surely find the evil Navi and purge the cyberworld of his vileness!"

"For goodness sake! Can you cut that out already?" Greenman turned to his teammate for this task, Shiningman. After his humiliating defeat in the first N1 Grand Prix, Greenman and his operator had began a series of intensive training to strengthen their Net Battling skills and decided to give the N2 a try, determined to at least make it to the finals this time around. The Navi had cleared the first preliminaries with little to no trouble for the most part, but now, the Navi was extremely annoyed at being paired up with Shiningman for their current task.

Shiningman merely saluted him. Despite being deleted by his teammate during the tag-team battles in the N1, the Navi still somehow maintained his cheery and positive outlook on working alongside another NetNavi. "I see and acknowledge the passion in your eyes! Now, let us direct this drive towards finding that evil Net Navi!"

Greenman brought his hand to his face and sighed. He hoped that the other Navi was merely putting on such an overtly positive vibe just for the cameras hovering over their backs.

"Huh?" Suddenly, Greenman was snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed the Net Navies in the common net area fleeing in terror. Shiningman appeared to have noticed just as much, too. "Fellow companion! The citizens of the net appear to be actively fleeing from the area over there!" The Net Navi proclaimed loudly as he pointed in the general direction of where the other Navies were running from. Not a moment after the words left his mouth, a loud explosion occurred in the direction where Shinningman had pointed at, shocking the two Navies and the programmes recording their dialogue behind them.

"What the-" Greenman's eyes widened. While he knew that the N2 was created to simulate a reality show more than that of a tournament, the explosion looked a bit too real to be created by special effects, and the Navies that had ran past them just a moment ago didn't seem to be actors to him. Then, there was also the location of where the explosion had come from… "It came from the Admin Panel of this area!"

"Only the evil Navi would have a reason to target the Admin Panel!" Shiningman came to the conclusion for him. Using his levitation ability, Shiningman quickly shot towards the source of the ruckus. "Come, fellow friend! We must put a stop to this Navi's evil scheme before he can spread more of his chaos among the net!"

"H-Hey! Wait up!" Having not been programmed with the ability to levitate, Greenman had no choice but to run after his teammate on foot, though as he attempted to catch up to Shiningman, Greenman couldn't help but suspect that something wasn't quite right with what was happening… This was just another part of the N2, was it?

* * *

"Zero! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Zero insisted as X helped him back to his feet. The two Navies had just been wandering around the central area of the Net, looking out for any clues of where the Navi the two of them had to locate could be when a group of particularly terrified-looking Net Navies ran towards their direction. While neither of the Navies had expected it, Zero hadn't been quick enough to get out of the way, and ended up being knocked over by the group of fleeing Navies.

X sighed in relief as Zero dusted himself off. "That was so weird- Those Navies just came out of nowhere!" X pondered out loud once he was sure that Zero was okay. "They all looked like they were spooked as well- Could they be running away from something?"

"Whatever it is, it has to be real." Zero's gaze turned stern. He'd seen bad acting before, and the look of terror on those Net Navies' eyes were too real to be faked.

"You mean there's an actual danger running amok in the cyberworld right now?" Netto asked, but the boy quickly recovered from his shock. "We have to get over there now and see what's happened!"

"W-WAIT!" Behind them, A_J01 jumped up, the recording equipment still aimed at the two Navies and their operators. "I'M- I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO SAY THIS, BUT ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO GO SEE WHAT THAT RUCKUS HAD BEEN ABOUT? THE OTHER TEAMS MIGHT BE CLOSING IN ON THE OBJECTIVE AS WE SPEAK! MAYBE IT WOULD BE BETTER TO LEAVE IT TO THE OFFICIALS THIS TIME?"

"We can't just ignore people in need! Not when we have the power to help them!" Hub reasoned. "Sure, it would suck to miss out on the N2, but if people got hurt because we didn't help when we could have… I'd never be able to live it down!" Then, the boy turned to Zero. "Come on! Let's go see what that was all about!"

"Got it!" Zero said. Then, the two Navies ran off to investigate what the group of Net Navies had been running from.

"WH-WHAT SHOULD WE DO?" A_J01 turned to B_K37. "THEY'RE GOING OFF THE OBJECTIVE!"

"FOLLOW THEM AND KEEP RECORDING." B_K37 came to the decision after a short moment of silence.

"SHOULDN'T WE BE CONTACTING THE OTHERS?" A_J01 was still slightly hesitant. "MAYBE THEY'LL KNOW WHAT TO DO?"

"THAT'S THE THING. I CAN'T REACH ANY OF THE OTHER PROGRAMMES FOLLOWING THE OTHER TEAMS." B_K37 explained as it begin to head towards the direction X and Zero had ran off into. "SOMETHING BIG MUST HAVE HAPPENED, AND WHATEVER IT IS, IF WE CAN MANAGE TO GET IT ON TAPE…" B_K37 trailed off, allowing A_J01 to come to its own conclusion.

It appeared to have worked, and A_J01 gave a short yet determined nod as it finished pondering over the situation. "OKAY, OKAY. YOU'RE RIGHT. THIS MIGHT BE EVEN BIGGER THAN THE TOURNAMENT ITSELF!" With that, the programme sped after B_K37. "WAIT FOR ME! I'M GOING TO GET EVERYTHING ON TAPE- YOU'LL SEE!"


	134. Chapter 115

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Got a few days to myself before I gotta do all sorts of events once more. Anyways, I was thinking about putting up more extra chapters, or beginning the second spin-off of LGOTN, since we won't be seeing Forte for a long while in the main plot of the story. If you have any opinions, or if there's a certain scenario that you think is worth exploring, you can feel free to let me know in the comments or reviews. I probably won't write extras on the current or future arcs, as I don't want to spoil anything, but I'll definitely consider doing extra chapters on the arcs we've already covered (Pre-WWW, WWW and Gospel).

It didn't take X and Zero long at all to find the source of where all the commotion was coming from.

"Zero, look!" X gestured towards the distance, where smoke was spewing out into the air.

"It looks like it's from the Admin Panel in this area." Zero realized, his suspicions confirmed. "This isn't just some act that someone's playing in the N2. The net's actually in danger!"

"We have to find out what's happened and put a stop to it!" Though X found it a pity that they'd have to forfeit their places in the N2, neither he nor Zero could bring themselves to just stand aside and ignore the potential danger when they knew they had the power to stop it. "Zero, let's- Huh?"

The two Navies had just been about to run to where they saw the smoke coming from, when the wandering figure of a programme approaching them. X blinked. He'd thought that everyone had already fled the area.

"Are you hurt?" The blue Navi asked as he approached the programme. "It's dangerous here! You should leave before things can get worse…"

X trailed off mid-sentence, stopping in his steps when he noticed that something wasn't quite right. The programme's eyes were glowing with a somewhat dazed and unfocused look, and it set alarms off in X's mind. Something was off. Behind him, Zero appeared to have realized just as much, as he stepped forward and formed his hand into a sword, just in case something were to happen.

"GRR…"

It was Hub's turn to blink. "Did… Did that programme just growl at us…?"

Before any of them could say anything, a loud gasp was heard from behind them, and the two Navies turned to see A_J01 and B_K37 stumbling onto the scene as the two programmes caught up to them.

"HEY! THAT'S KI_R1!" A_J01 beamed as it turned to B_K37. "THEY'RE ALRIGHT, AFTER ALL!"

It was at this point that the programme, now known as KI_RI, suddenly acted up. It leapt towards X and Zero, barking wildly, the two shocked Navies just managing to duck out of the way of the enraged programme as it attacked.

"BARK! BARK!"

"What the heck?!" Netto was conflicted. The situation was both absurdly hilarious and unnerving at the same time. "Is that programme seriously pretending to be a dog?"

"EHHH?!" As X and Zero recovered, they turned to see KI_R1 advancing on A_J01 and B_K37. "KI_R1! WH-WHAT'S GOTTEN INTO YOU?"

"BARK! BARK!"

Seeing the situation, B_K37 grabbed A_J01 with one of its head appendages and ran, pulling the other programme behind it as KI_R1 began to chase them, still barking and snarling as the three programmes disappeared into the distance.

"Hey!" X had been about to run after the three programmes in an attempt to help A_J01 and B_K37, when another figure leapt out in front of them, this one in the form of a NetNavi, and strangely familiar.

"Zero…" X couldn't quite believe his eyes. "Is… Is that…?"

"It is." Zero was just as shocked. "That's Greenman. Gutsman's opponent in the N1."

In response, X just laughed nervously as Greenman approached him on all fours with a weird look in his eyes. "Oh my god, please don't tell me…"

With a loud yeowl, Greenman leapt at X, the blue Navi panicked and kicking the other Navi to the side before he winced, realizing what he just did. He hadn't meant to use so much force, and he hoped that the other Navi was alright.

"What's going on?" Netto still had trouble wrapping his mind around what was happening. "Why are the programmes and Net Navies all pretending to be animals?"

"Whatever the reason, it must have something to do with that smoke's that coming from the Admin Panel!" Hub was confused by the situation as well, but he didn't think it was just coincidence that the Admin Panel had been attacked just as these Programmes and Navies are acting like animals.

"Grr…" Slightly besides them, Greenman seemed to have recovered from being kicked in the gut by X as he scrambled to his hands and feet. X and Zero stepped back, in case the other Navi decided to charge them once more, but instead of doing that, Greenman tossed his head up and  _howled_. X would have laughed, if he didn't have a sinking suspicion that something bad was about to happen.

"X." Zero shared his sentiment. "Something's coming."

The area was quiet, before the sounds of shuffling and huffing was heard, growing louder and louder as whatever or whoever was making the sounds got closer and closer to the two of their location. X and Zero stood together, preparing for an ambush, but when their opponents made themselves known, both the red and blue Navies nearly didn't maintain their composure.

"Wh- How-" X's eyes widened as a dozen or so other Net Navies appeared all around them, all on their hands and feet and having the same distant gaze in their eyes.

"They all think they're wolves…!" Zero raised his sword defensively as one of the Net Navies approached him, snarling.

"Zero! We can't hurt them!" Seeing the other Navi raise his sword, X attempted to stop him. "Something's not right! I don't think they realize what they're doing!"

The red Navi frowned. While he had also realized just as much, that didn't change the fact that the two of them were still very much surrounded by a dozen or so Net Navies who currently believed they were wolves, and that X and Zero were their prey.

"We need to escape and find whoever's responsible for this." Sensing Zero's concern, X continued. "Once we do, we might be able to return them all to normal!"

"Alright…" Zero nodded, seeing his point. "But how're we supposed to get out without directly confronting them…?"

X just grinned. "Don't worry about that. I have a plan."

Just then, one of the Navies howled and leapt towards the two of them. All around X and Zero, the rest of the Net Navies appeared to have taken this as their sign to attack, and they all flung themselves at the two red and blue Navies at once, shrieking and snarling as if they were actual beasts preparing to tear their prey apart.

"Now's our chance!" X didn't seem worried in the slightest. Raising his hand, several Mini Bombs appeared in his palm, and as X threw them onto the ground, he took Zero's wrist so that the two of them wouldn't lose track of each other as the resulting explosions sent dust and smoke flying everywhere in the area. The group of Net Navies quickly losing sight of their target within the cloud of dust, and once it had dissipated, X and Zero were nowhere to be found.


	135. Chapter 116

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Spent an hour looking over some of the old art I did and then reminiscing about the good times I used to have. It was really nostalgic. Anyways, sorry that the recent chapters have been kind of short and boring. I promise that the next two chapters will be more interesting as we begin to get into the real plot of the current arc.

"That was close…"

Zero hummed in agreement as he and X made their way towards the Admin Panel. As X threw the Mini Bombs into the ground, he had used the resulting smokescreen as a result as an opportunity to grab Zero's wrist and teleport the two of them out of the group of wolf-Navies using Area Steal, and as they continued to make their way towards their destination, the two Navies gradually came across more and more NetNavies that appeared to believe themselves to be different kinds of animals.

"It's like a zoo, but in the cyberworld!" X half-joked, attempting to lighten the mood.

Despite himself, Zero couldn't quite stop the slight grin tugging at his lips, amused. "Whoever's causing this must be around here somewhere. We have to stop him and return everyone back to normal."

X smiled back, before he noticed something amiss. Unlike the wolf-Navies that had attacked them, most of the Net Navies and programmes appeared to have been turned into docile or herbivorous animals, allowing X and Zero to make their way through the area unharmed as they minded their own business. However, among the crowd, X noticed the figure of a NetNavi walking away from the area. The Navi, however, wasn't making any sorts of weird noises, or moving on all four like an animal- Unlike everyone else, he was acting like a NetNavi, and that made X suspicious instantly. "Hey!"

The Navi stopped in his tracks instantly, and Zero looked towards where X had shouted at, just now realizing the seemingly-unaffected NetNavi. "Who're you? And what're you doing here?" X asked the other NetNavi.

The strange Navi was quiet for a moment, before he spoke in a low voice, just loud enough for X and Zero to hear him, "Shit."

Before the two red and blue Navies could understand the meaning behind his words, the strange Navi turned, flinging a ball of light in their direction. X and Zero dodged out of the way immediately, the sphere missing them and colliding with a nearby structure, the loud bang resulting as a result startling many of the surrounding animal-Navies, causing them to flee in all sorts of directions away from the area.

"Yikes!" X stepped out of the way as one of the animal-Navies nearly trampled him as the Navi fled, but he didn't let that distract him for long. "Zero! That Navi's escaping!" While he still wasn't completely sure if the strange Navi had been the one to turn all of the other Navies and Programmes into animals mentally, the fact that he had just attacked the two of them unsolicited made him highly suspicious that that might be indeed the case.

Zero jumped into action immediately, having come to the same conclusion that X had. "I'm on it! He won't get away!" With that, Zero summoned his sword and gave chase.

Despite having a head start, it was obvious that Zero was much quicker than the fleeing Navi, as the red Navi was catching up to him quickly. Having realized this, the strange Navi turned on his heels, and aimed one hand towards Zero. "Hypno Flash!"

"Zero! Watch out!" X raised his own hand as well, forming it into a buster. He had suspected that the strange Navi might try something, and he fired a shot from his buster, knocking Zero to the side before the weird light coming from the unknown Navi's hand could hit him.

"Foul Navi! I have finally located you!" X blinked, and he turned to see another familiar NetNavi, this one he recognized to be Shiningman, one of Blues' teammates in the N1's tag-team battles, though Shiningman appeared visibly disheveled as he pointed a finger at the unknown Navi. "Despite your best efforts to sway me from the path with those strange, animalistic Navies, I have persevered! And now, you shall face the judgment of the-"

Before he could finish, the strange light that the unknown Navi had unleashed collided with him, X shielding his eyes from the bright light. Once the light had faded, Shiningman was oddly silent as he stood where he was for several moments, before he collapsed onto the ground with a thud.

"Sh-Shiningman!" X was alarmed. "Are you alright?"

"...Blub…" The other Navi laid still on the floor, unmoving aside from the occasional slight twitch as he murmured strangely to himself. "Blub, blub…"

X just stared, his eyes wide when he realized that Shiningman now thought that he was some sort of salted fish. He turned back to the strange Navi that had attacked them. "So you're the one who's turning all of the Net Navies and programmes into animals!"

"I'm guessing that you were the one who attacked the Admin Panel of this area as well?" Zero had recovered from the shock as well. "You hypnotized everyone into believing that they were animals, so that you can escape among the chaos!"

The unknown Navi cursed once more, realizing that the jig was up. "Damn. Alright. You caught me."

"Who are you? And why did you attack the Admin Panel?" X asked, his eyes narrowed, hoping to get some sort of motive behind the NetNavi's attack.

"My name is Flashman!" The Navi declared. "As for why I attacked the Admin Panel- You don't need to know that!" Flashman raised both his hands at X and Zero once more, two balls of light flickering to life in each hand. "All you need to know is that you'll be deleted for what you saw! I'll make sure of it!"

With that, Flashman fired the two balls of light at X and Zero, the two Navies dodging out of the way to avoid his attacks.


	136. Chapter 117

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: In all of the anime, manga and games, people being hypnotized and becoming animals have occured- Flashman had been the NetNavi responsible for making Kingman believe he was a statue in the manga, while he hypnotized Maylu, Dekao and Yaito to become various animals and objects in the game. In the anime, the entire population of Den City had been turned into animals, but the culprit was Magicman instead. Also, anyone else imagined Flashman in one of those coats as a different kind of "flash" man before? Just wondering.

X fired shot after shot from his buster as Flashman continued to hurl balls of light towards the two of them, the blue Navi occasionally ducking out of the way when the other Navi would unleash another beam of Hypno Flash, avoiding it at all costs having seen what it had done to Shiningman- X was very much fine with being a NetNavi, and still didn't want to become an animal as of yet.

Zero had attempted to get close several times, but was forced to back down and keep a distance between himself and Flashman in order to avoid the rouge Navi's hypnotic light. Flashman cackled as Zero just barely managed to deflect the blast of light coming from his hands. "You'll let slip sooner or later! I hope you two enjoy being animals with the rest of them!"

Zero was forced to jump back to avoid being blinded by a bright flash of light, the red Navi cursing quietly as he fell back to X's location. "This isn't going anywhere- I can't get close!"

"We need to find some way around his Hypno Flash…" Hub had caught on to their problem as well. "Or at least find some way to disregard it…!"

"It's just light, isn't it?" Netto frowned as he attempted to contribute something towards solving their predicament. "What can we do to block the light from his attacks?"

The two Hikaris paused, giving each other a quick glance as they came to a sudden realization. In the cyberworld, X and Zero did the same as they listened in on the two twins' conversation.

"...?" Though he couldn't quite hear the conversation that had went down between Hub and Netto from the distance, Flashman did notice the weird look at X and Zero had given each other. "What're you two mumbling on about? Whatever you're trying- You won't get me with it!"

"Oh yeah?" With a grin, Zero turned back to the rouge Navi. "We'll just have to see about that!" Raising his sword, Zero made another dash towards Flashman, the red Navi clearly having no intentions of stopping this time.

Sensing his intentions, Flashman aimed his hand towards him. "Are you daft? I'll blast you to bits!" The smirk was audible in his voice as he attacked. "Hypno Blast!"

The Navi shot out another beam of the hypnotic light towards Zero, but the red Navi had a counter this time. Taking out the Mini Bomb X had slipped him just moments earlier, the red Navi threw it ahead of him, the bomb exploding and enveloping him a cloud of dust just as the Hypno Flash collided with him.

Flashman was baffled by Zero's actions. "Is that your brilliant plan? To puff out this ball of smoke?"

Before the rouge Navi could continue on his tangent, however, Zero had lept out from the makeshift smokescreen, drawing his sword and ramming Flashman through the chest with it, the rouge Navi gasping and reeling back in shock.

"Im...Impossible!" Flashman wheezed. "I hit you with my Hypno Flash! I saw it…!"

"Your attack was aimed directly at me, yes." Zero acknowledged. "But all that dust had blocked out the light, effectively making your light-based attack useless. You might want to put more thought into things before making declarations like that."

"..." Silently, Flashman bowed his head. Thinking that the other Navi would be unable to fight back any longer with the large wound he had sustained, Zero began to withdraw his sword from Flashman's chest, but the other Navi grabbed his wrist instead.

"...If I'm going to be defeated, then I'm taking you down with me…!" As Flashman said this, his body began to glow with an ominous light. Alarmed, Zero attempted to get away, but he couldn't dislodge the other Navi's tight grip on his wrists. He wasn't sure what Flashman was planning, but it was clear the red Navi wouldn't be getting out of it, being stuck at such a close distance as he was.

"Zero!" Noticing that Zero was trapped where he was, X ran forward in a desperate attempt to help his companion, but it was already too late. Flashman's entire body grew brightly as he prepared to unleash his final attack. "Shining… Browser… Crasher!"

X could only cover his eyes from the explosion of light as Flashman screamed, realizing that the rouge Navi intended to self-destruct in order to take Zero with him. The moment he felt the light fade, X reopened his eyes in search for Zero instantly, but his gaze instead fell upon another familiar figure that he hadn't expected to see.

"Mega?!" X's eyes widened as he saw the cloaked figure of the blue Myth standing over Flashman, the Navi had fallen onto the floor after his attempt at self-destructing. Behind her, Zero saw just as stunned as X had been, but otherwise appeared relatively unharmed. Quickly, X began to piece together what had happened- The Blue Myth must have leapt in at the last moment somehow, and shielded Zero from the direct line of fire from Flashman's attack.

Going over to the other Navies, X's relief hadn't completely settled in when he heard a loud snarl, the sound too close for comfort. Looking behind him, X pale when he saw the scene before him-

Apparently, their fighting had drawn the attention of all of the wolf-Navies and wolf-Programmes from before, and the group of animal NetNavies currently all have them surrounded as they growled and snarled threateningly. X cursed internally- He had thought that the effects of the hypnosis would wear off after defeating Flashman, but that didn't seem to be the case. This wasn't good. He didn't want to hurt any of the other NetNavies or programmes, but he couldn't see them getting out of confronting the group of wolf-Navies this time.

Before either X and Zero could do anything else however, Mega stepped forward, drawing the attention of the group of wolf-Navies. "Stand back, both of you."

"Mega!" Even if he'd witnessed the Blue Myth's power on several occasions, X still couldn't help but warn her. "They're actual Navies that think they're wolves right now- Be careful!"

With a howl, the wolf-Navies descended upon them all at once, X and Zero raising their weapons hesitant, reluctant to actually fight the NetNavies, but knowing that they would have to defend themselves if worse comes to worse. Just as one of the wolf-Navies leapt towards them, another ball of light began to glow- This one much softer and contained that Flashman's attacks had been, but as the light faded, X was surprised once again.

Though most of the Blue Myth's features were hidden by the purple cloak she wore, it was apparent that she had a small frame. Now, four lightning rod-like appendages sprouted from her back, and with her hood pulled back, X could see that the Blue Myth's helmet and skinsuit had taken on a darker shade, with the pattern of a bolt of lightning slashed directly onto the center front of her headgear. If it wasn't for the familiar green eyes that had remained unchanged, X would have wondered if this was another NetNavi entirely.

"You can change your appearance?!" Zero was just as startled by this revelation as X had.

Without answering, Mega raised her hand as the first of the wolf-NetNavies charged at her, a crackle of electricity forming within her palm.

"Static Field!"

With that, a burst of discharge energy was blasted throughout the entire area, the wolf-Navies all howling as they were shocked by the electricity.


	137. Chapter 118

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Made a rant video that got kind of heated about why I would rather do dishes than clean a toilet seat. I have no idea why I was really passionate about winning that argument. Might be because literally everyone else who I've asked the question had the opposite answer to what I thought lol.

As the sparks of electricity gradually faded away, the wolf-Navies all collapsed onto the floor, unconscious and unmoving.

"What have you done?" Zero turned to the Blue Myth- The entire time, he and X had been attempting to avoid confrontation with the hypnotized NetNavies to prevent anyone from getting unnecessarily hurt, but the Blue Myth had just swooped in and electrocuted all of them!

"Calm down." The Blue Myth merely glanced at him, and Zero paused, still unused to actually seeing any sort of distinctive features of the other Navi's. "They aren't hurt or anything. I've only used enough energy to knock them all unconscious."

"...It was fortunate that you did that." X said, attempting to break the uneasy silence as Zero continued staring at the Blue Myth with unease and slightly suspicion. "...But why are you here, Mega? You don't usually appear in the surface net unless there's something important going on…"

The Blue Myth didn't answer him immediately. Instead, she just turned to Flashman, half of the Navi's body completely damaged from him self-destructing just moments prior. Wordlessly, Mega went over to him, turning the Navi so that Flashman was on his back instead before she spoke. "What did you do with it?"

Flashman cracked one of his eyes open. "Hm…?"

"The Terra Code." Mega clarified, her look stern. "Where is it?"

"You're…" A flash of recognition shot through Flahsman's eyes, before his look turned into one of deranged amusement. "Kehehe… It's too late… While you were busy dealing with those NetNavies… I've transferred the Terra Code data to my operator…" Flashman was interrupted by a series of coughs, before he continued hastily. "With the Terra Codes… We'll unleash a terror upon the cyberworld… One that not even you can prevent!"

X frowned, taking his eyes off of Flashman for a moment to look at Mega, surprised to see that despite Flashman's words, Mega's expression had remained unreadable- Something was definitely off. Though he was uncertain if it was intentional or not, Mega tended to wear her heart on her sleeve- It wasn't like her to be so stoic when she was usually brimming with emotion.

Could it have been what Flashman had just said? Or was it something else entirely…?

"Keh… You better just give up now…" It was clear that Flashman's frame was no longer able to maintain itself for long with the amount of damage he'd sustained. "Because soon… Soon, you and everything will be swallowed up into darkness…!"

With that, the rest of the data maintaining the Navi's frame fell apart, the remnants of Flashman fading away into nothing as he was deleted. Having kept his gaze on the Blue Myth this entire time, X watched as Mega merely narrowed her eyes, before pulling her hood back over her head as she turned to leave. X reached out and grabbed her wrist, stopping her from doing so.

Startled, Mega attempted to jerk her hand back. "What're you-"

"What's gotten into you?" X cut her off. "You've been acting off ever since me and Zero found you trapped inside the Undernet!"

"I told you- This doesn't concern you!" Mega snapped back, her voice strained. "This is something I have to deal with myself!"

"Not if it's something that's affecting you so much!" X raised his voice, his grip on the Blue Myth's wrist tightening. "Ever since we last saw you in the Undernet, you've been acting so cold and distant! The Mega I know is kind and compassionate- Even to her enemies! So why are you acting like this?!"

There was a stunned look on the Blue Myth's face as she fell silent, and X suddenly felt awkwardly guilty for having startled the other Navi, but he pressed on. "...You've... you've helped us so much in the past… Please, tell me what's wrong. Let us return the favor."

"..."

X watched as the fleeting moments of realization and acknowledgement pass through the Blue Myth's eyes, before her gaze softened. Upon seeing the emotions return to the other Navi's gaze, X allowed himself the slight relief that his words seemed to have at least gotten through to Mega, even if he still wasn't completely aware of what had been troubling the other so much to the point it would drive her to act so out of character.

"...Sorry…" Finally, Mega sighed as she turned back to X, giving him a small smile, one that though wasn't forced, X could tell was somewhat bittersweet. "You're right… I, I don't know what's gotten into me. Something has been troubling me lately… I just didn't realize how much it had…"

"...That's alright." X gave her a reassuring smile. "Please, tell us what's wrong. If it's something we can help with…"

"I- I don't know how much I can tell you of it- I've only recently learnt of it myself." The Blue Myth's voice was laced with worry and uncertainty as she spoke. "But there's a group of Navies going after something called the Terra Codes…"

X blinked. He recalled Mega questioning Flashman about the Terra Codes. Was that why Flashman had attacked the Admin Panel? "Terra Code?"

"I'm not sure what the Terra Codes are myself…" mega shook her head slightly. "I just know that they're what those group of NetNavies were after-"

Then, she paused abruptly. X watched in confusion as Mega's eyes went wide in surprise, before she took her hand back- He'd completely forgotten that he was still holding onto Mega's wrist. "I'm sorry, X. But we'll have to continue this some other time." Then, the form of the Blue Myth disappeared swiftly as she logged out of the area, leaving X baffled at her sudden exit.

"Wh…"

Before he could continue, there was a loud, audible gasp coming from behind him. Turning, X was shocked to see the figures of A_J01 and B_K37 huddled discreetly in the distance, A_J01 still keeping a tight hold on its recording equipment despite being chased by one of the wolf-Programmes several moments prior.

"I… I'VE GOT IT!" Ecstatic, A_J01 turned to B_K37, its eyes glowing with triumphant excitement. "I'VE GOT EVERYTHING ON TAPE!"


	138. Chapter 119 (Recollection 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I know we're done with the headcanons, but my headcanon is that the reason why Forte enjoys sexing Rockman up so much isn't so much because it's pleasurable for him, but he enjoys feeling the pleasure that Rockman projects to him when they fuck. This suddenly came to mind when I noticed that in a lot of the H chapters I write, Forte focuses a lot more on Rockman's pleasure than his own.

"Mega?"

Rockman blinked, smiling when he saw Forte approach him. "Forte."

There was a subtle tilt of Forte's finned helmet, and the dark Navi gave him a slight grin as Rockman went over to him. "You seem to be enjoying yourself."

Realizing that Forte was most likely referring to his recent visit to the surface net, Rockman just shrugged. "The Undernet's really expansive and all, but it's just not as interesting as the surface net."

Forte drew back at that, feigning hurt. "Am I not interesting enough?"

"Forte." Rockman sighed in slight annoyance, but mostly amusement. "You know that's not what I meant."

The dark Navi hummed- Neither ignoring or acknowledging Rockman's words, but seemingly content to keep up their current banter. "Is it really?"

Rockman pouted. "Are you really telling me you'd rather terrorize innocent Net Navies and viruses in the Undernet than go on trips to the surface net with me? I guess you truly are the feared and terrible Black Shadow."

"I would hardly call them innocent." Forte rolled his eyes. While Forte no longer actively hunted down and deleted Net Navies to Rockman's knowledge, the blue Navi knew that confrontation between Forte and certain Undernet Navies would be inevitable, considering the more aggressive and impulsive nature of some of the Net Navies within the Undernet.

Sensing their current conversation about to trail off, Rockman noticed the opportunity to bring up the issue with him meeting doctor Cossack in the surface net, and the programme the doctor had asked him to give to the other Navi. Taking a deep breathe, Rockman was just about to say something when he paused, abruptly realizing that he had no idea where to even begin.

...What was he supposed to even say?  _"Hey, Forte. Remember your father that you think betrayed you and left you for dead ten years ago? I just met him in the surface net. He told me how he was sorry about abandoning you all those years ago, and that it was all just a big misunderstanding. He also gave me this programme that's linked to his PET, so you can go back to him, if you wanted to."_

"...What's wrong?" Either noticing the blue Navi's prolonged pause or feeling Rockman's unease and nervousness, Forte asked him. "Did something happen?"

"I-" Rockman began fumbling around for words. "It's- It's nothing- I, I mean…!" Pausing, the blue Navi blushed, taking a moment to think about what he was going to say before he continued. "It's, there's this thing that's happened, yeah. But… I'm just not sure how to bring it up with you…"

Forte's look changed instantly- It wasn't anger, or anything of the sort, but the kind of stern but cautious approach the dark Navi usually took on when it was obvious that something was troubling Rockman. "Why is that?"

"Well… It's something that's happened a long time ago, Forte." Rockman said carefully, unsure if he should be grateful that Forte didn't instantly demanded him to tell him what it was immediately. "And… It's difficult for me to bring it up to you, because there's so many negative emotions attached to it, and I'm not sure how you'd react…" Rockman met Forte's gaze at this, attempting to gauge Forte's emotions as he spoke. "I… I don't know if you would feel that this would be digging up old woes, but I hope it would be some sort of closure for you instead…"

"Something in my past?" Rockman could see the flicker of suspicion in Forte's eyes, and Rockman looked away, feeling the unease and nervousness spike within him.

"It… It's not going to be pleasant." Rockman said quietly, attempting to calm himself. "But it's something I have to tell you. It's too important."

When he was met with silence, Rockman looked back at Forte with worry and concern, only to see the other Navi looking off into the distance with a blank expression on his face.

"...Forte?"

"It's funny." Forte said, seemingly more to himself than anything, before he turned back to Rockman. "I could have said the same to you."

Rockman blinked, confused, but before he can ask, a hand was clasped over his face. Alarmed, he began struggling instinctively, but a sudden force colliding with the back of his head knocked him out swiftly.

With a jolt, Rockman was brought back to awareness, gradually realizing that he'd fell back into his own thoughts and allowed his mind to wander, unknowingly thinking back to the day when it had all started- When he had been confronted by doctor Cossack, and then attacked and knocked out cold by his own mate within the span of several hours. He would have laughed at how absurd the entire thing was, if it didn't hurt.

That was several weeks ago, and he hadn't seen Forte since then.

And it wasn't as if Rockman hadn't tried. The blue Navi had asked Shadowman and Swallowman to keep a lookout for the Black Shadow while he searched the Undernet for possible information on why Forte had suddenly decided to go rogue, and though the blue Navi himself was unable to find anything, Shadowman did notice some suspicious activity within the Undernet, which had led to him finding out about the Tetra Codes and a certain group of Net Navies that were attempting to track and hunt down these codes. While Rockman still wasn't able to find out what the Tetra Codes were for, something told him that it wasn't going to be pleasant, to say the least.

Briefly, Rockman allowed himself to think back to what X had said, and he couldn't help but find the other Navi's words terrifyingly true; He'd never once paused to think about it, but he was only just beginning to realize how much all of this was getting to his head- It probably didn't help that whatever was going on had never occured in his original timeline, and inbetween him scrambling to figure out what this new group of Net Navies were attempting and why Forte had abruptly gone rouge, he'd let all the stress and worry get to his head.

He knew this wasn't good for him, but he was just so hurt and confused by why Forte had suddenly turned around and attacked him. There had to be some sort of reason, or motive behind Forte's action, but Rockman just didn't know what it was...!

He was scared. He'd never felt this lost and alone since he'd been blasted back into the past and realized that there wasn't any way back to his original timeline.

' _Calm down.'_  Rockman attempted to tell himself.  _'Being sad or worried isn't going to help me right now- I need to think of something that will help me. Or find someone who can help."_

It was what Forte would have told him, if he was here and could sense his distress.

Though Rockman still maintained the fact that he wasn't nearly as sharp or observant as Forte was, he knew that there was two main questions he needed to solve; Firstly, he needed to find out what the Tetra Codes were, what they were for, and- if there were more of them- where they were in the cyberworld. Second, he needed to some way to locate Forte and find out the reason behind why the dark Navi had suddenly gone rouge- Not necessarily in that order, but he needed to solve them regardless.

Rockman considered having Shadowman or Swallowman dig through the Undernet for more information regarding the Tetra codes, but he quickly realized that he would be pretty much out of luck on that regard- Had there been more information on the Tetra Codes, Rockman had no doubt Shadowman would have found that out already.

So that only left him with finding out Forte's whereabouts… Rockman didn't have a clue as to where Forte was, but was there someone else that could…?

A sudden thought occurred to him. Could doctor Cossack possibly, potentially help him locate Forte? The doctor was technically Forte's father, and the man  _did_  manage to track him down when he'd been in the surface net, afterall, and it wasn't as if the doctor only reached out to him because he was unable to track down Forte- It had been because the man had more faith in Rockman's ability to get his message through to Forte.

...Well, there was no way to know unless he tried.

"...Mistress?" Shadowman looked concern when he noticed Rockman beginning to leave. "Are you alright?"

"I… I'll be fine." Rockman said softly. "Don't worry. I just need to see someone."

Realizing that the blue Navi didn't want to be followed, Shadowman only watched as Rockman left. Swallowman swooped in from behind him several moments later. "What's gotten her so gloomy, anyways?"

Shadowman narrowed his eyes. "The Mistress' mate has betrayed him."

"What?" Swallowman tilted his head, baffled. "Who? You mean the Blue Myth?" Then, in a more astonished tone, he said, "She's mated?"

Shadowman didn't bother gracing the bird Navi with an answer, though he did hear the other Navi fall into silence for a brief moment, before mumbling, "Dang… I didn't realize she was taken."


	139. Chapter 120

The man was alone at his desk when he heard it. His PET beeping from its charger, notifying him that something had just happened. Instantly, the man stopped everything he was doing. Going over to the PET, he hesitated for a slight moment, before picking the device up and turning the screen on. "F...Forte?"

There was an awkward pause. "Sorry to disappoint, doctor Cossack. But it's me."

"O-oh! It's you!" Cossack chuckled briefly in embarrassment at his own nastiness, before he realized something. "Ah, but why would you be in my PET? Did you…?"

On the screen of the PET, the cloaked figure of the Blue Myth glanced to the side. "...Yeah. I used the programme you originally wanted me to give to Forte. That's how I ended up in your PET."

"Hm. I figured..." Cossack nodded. "But... why?"

"..."

The scientist watched the cloaked Navi fidget nervously for a moment, before she spoke. "Doctor Cossack… I'm afraid I'm in need of your help this time around."

"When you first gave me that programme that day… I did manage to find Forte within the Undernet." Cossack set the PET back onto its charger as he began listening to the Blue Myth's words. "But… before I could give him the programme, h-he... attacked me. I lost track of him."

Upon hearing this, the doctor sighed, feeling slightly resigned. "I should have expected that…"

"B-but, that's not what I came here to talk about!" The Blue Myth had continued before he could say anything else. "Doctor Cossack- I… I wanted to ask if you know any way to locate Forte!"

That made the man raise an eyebrow. "Wh-what…?"

"I'm not going to give up on him just yet!" The Blue Myth said, her green eyes though flickering with nervousness, also had a determined shine to them. "I… I just need help locating him again, and since you were able to find me in the surface net, I was wondering if you can do the same with Forte as well!"

Cossack was silent for a full several seconds, before an amused gasp left his lips, gradually trailing off into laughter.

"Doctor Cossack!" The doctor's reaction had startled and confused the cloaked Navi.

"I- I apologize." The man said once he'd caught himself. "But the look of trust and hopefulness in your eyes…" Cossack gave the Navi a soft smile. "... It's something I hadn't seen or felt in a very long time, and seeing that just made me… happy, somehow."

Seeing that the Blue Myth still didn't quite understand what he'd just said, Cossack merely brought his hands together and changed the subject. "While I'm very thankful that you have decided to help me with getting my message through to Forte, I'm afraid I may not be able to locate him in the same manner as I have you, Blue Myth."

"Please, call me Mega." The cloaked Navi said, before she frowned. "And why not?"

"Hn." Cossack was surprised, he hadn't realized that the Blue Myth had an actual name, but he quickly deduced that it must have been a title given to her by the residents of the Undernet, much like how his son was known in the Undernet as the Black Shadow. "Well, while it was partially luck that I managed to locate you in the surface net to begin with, you also gave me a lot of information to work off of."

"E-eh?" The Blue Myth- Mega, drew back in shock. "Wh-what?"

"After witnessing your confrontation with Forte on the cruise ship, I did some digging and research of my own." Cossack explained, leaning back in his seat. "From all of your previous appearances, I managed to deduce that, while you made your residence in the Undernet, whenever you did surface to the common net, you were most likely to do so within Den City's cyberworld, as none of your previous appearances in the surface net suggested otherwise."

"With that information, my search had been significantly narrowed down to within Den City's cyber world, and all I had to do was to hack and keep track on all of the security footages of the network areas in Den City until you appeared once more." The man tapped his chin lightly at that. "Of course, my computer alone wouldn't have enough processing power to go through all of the security feed littered throughout Den City's cyberworld, so I had to 'borrow' some of it from SciLabs and other large companies…" The man shrugged at this. "It was a bit questionable, sure. But it seems to have paid off in the end."

"..."

Rockman was left in stunned silence after he heard all of doctor Cossack's explanation. "Y-you're... You're just like him!" He blurted out before he could stop himself.  _'Like father, like son!'_

"Hm?" Cossack appeared to have noticed his slip-up. "What do you mean?"

"E-er- Nothing!" Rockman flustered, looking away. "S-so… What you mean to say is that because you don't have enough information on Forte's activities on the surface net, you can't track him down?"

"That is correct." If the scientist was suspicious of what Rockman had just said moments prior, he had let it slide. For now. "And since there isn't even any sort of regulation within the Undernet… Well, I can't capture and log any footage to run through my computer, anyways."

Rockman fell quiet once more, pondering over what doctor Cossack had just said. "...I see." He said softly, looking down. "...But… I still won't give up. I'll find him. Somehow."

The doctor merely nodded. "I wish there was more I can do to help…"

The man had probably said that off-handedly, but his words made Rockman blink as he remembered something. "Actually, there's something else I would like to ask you about, doctor Cossack."

"Hm?" That got Cossack's attention. "What is it?"

"I… I was wondering if you're familiar with something called the Tetra Codes?" Rockman frowned slightly. "I have no idea what they are, but-"

"I'm sorry-" Cossack had cut him off. Leaning forward, the scientist now had a serious look on his face. "But did you just say 'Tetra Code'?"

"Y-yeah!" The sudden change in demeanor had startled Rockman. "Do you know what it is?"

"..."

Cossack was quiet for several long moments, before he sighed. "I know all too well what they are." Then, he met Rockman's gaze. "Alright. I'll tell you what they are. But this might take a while…"

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This chapter was originally going to go a different way, where Cossack discovers, on accident, "Mega's" relationship with Forte, but I decided last-second that that revelation would be better saved for a different moment in the story. Sorry if anyone has been waiting for that moment this entire time.


	140. Chapter 121

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: My Mom went to Korea with her friends a week ago and just came back. She bought me a bunch of sketchbooks. Enough to last me like a year lol.

X had never felt more embarrassed in his life.

Not long after Flashman's deletion and then their conversation with the Blue Myth, the rest of the Net Navies and the Programmes from the N2 gradually began to stir, waking up after being knocked out by Mega's Static Field. Fortunately, the effects of Flashman's Hypno Flash appeared to have worn of, as none of the Navies believed themselves to be animals anymore. Unfortunately, the competitors and Programmes now had to deal with the aftermath of having this round of the preliminaries interrupted.

"WELL… I'M NOT SURE IF WE HAVE TIME TO DO ANOTHER ROUND OF PRELIMINARIES…" One of the programmes had said. "...SINCE NONE OF THE COMPETITORS HAVE MANAGED TO COMPLETE THE TASK-"

"Hold on just a moment there!" Before the programme could finish, one of the competitors interrupted it. It was Shiningman. "With all due respect, I believe your statement to be false!"

"HUH? WHAT DO YOU MEAN?"

"There IS one group of Navies that had managed to complete the task objective!"

Instantly, a hush of confused murmured was heard among the group of Navies and Programmes. "WH-WHAT? BUT THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE!" The original programme that had made the statement was clearly baffled. "THE TASK HAD BEEN INTERRUPTED! NO ONE COMPLETED IT!"

"If my memory is correct, then the task for this round's competitors was to 'locate an evil Navi and delete him in combat'!" Shiningman explained, puffing up his chest in confidence. "And one of the teams DID manage to find an evil Navi and defeat him!" As he said this, Shiningman pointed at X and Zero, the two Navies just as stunned by this sudden turn of events as the rest of the NetNavies turned to look at them.

"W-WELL… THAT IS… TECHNICALLY THE TRUTH…" The programme appeared torn, before it turned to A_J01 and B_K37 questioningly.

"IT'S TRUE!" A_J01 was quick to answer. "WE EVEN GOT IT ALL ON TAPE- IT'S GOING TO MAKE FOR AN INTERESTING EPISODE! THAT'S FOR SURE!"

"...ALRIGHT, THEN." That was all the confirmation the programme needed. "IT'S SETTLED! X AND ZERO- THE TWO OF YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED THE TASK, AND YOU'LL BE MOVING FORWARD TO THE NEXT ROUND IN THE N1 GRAND PRIX!"

At that time, the two of them had left out a breathe that they didn't realize they'd been holding upon hearing that, but X's relief quickly turned into shock and horror once he saw the episode featuring their round of the preliminaries aired.

Though he had expected the majority of the episode to be focused on them as all of the previous episodes of the N2 tended to give the winners of each round more screen time, it appeared that them defeating Flashman wasn't the only thing the producers found interesting enough to air.

When A_J01 said that it'd got everything on tape, it really did meant everything. Mainly, his apparent exchange with the Blue Myth.

Through whatever recording equipment they had used was unable to pick up the majority of his conversation with Mega, whatever they did managed to record seemed to be enough, and X's jaw dropped as he watched the video recording of himself grabbing the Blue Myth's wrist after she had saved them from the group of hypnotized Navies.

" _The Mega I know is kind and compassionate- Even to her enemies! So why are you acting like this?!"_

X covered his face with both hands. Besides him, Zero didn't say anything, but it wasn't difficult to tell that he was just as displeased by this as X was.

Accompanied with several clips of the finale from the N1, the last ten minutes of the episode was dedicated entirely to X's exchange with the Blue Myth, explaining the Blue Myth's infamy, her power to attract natural disasters, and her previous appearance in the first N1, and the fact that the two of them had met before in the previous tournament…

It sparked a series of debates among many following the tournament. As Netto and Hub read through the BBS created for discussing the N2, the twins had unsurprising found that the overwhelming majority of the more recent topics focused greatly on the newly-released episode with them and their NetNavies. Already, conspiracies surrounding X and the Blue Myth were beginning to spiral out of control, but there were some that also noticed the not-so-subtle romantic undertones, and considering the way the producers edited the episode…

"What rubbish." As the video data finished playing, Zero finally spoke up. "That whole thing was slander. That's what it is."

"It's obviously just a trick to get more views!" Netto added. The boy seemed just as annoyed by the entire thing, even though he wasn't the matter being discussed.

"It can't be helped…" Hub sighed. He wasn't happy about this, either, but there wasn't anything they could do about that. "With how they're conducting the N2, it's no surprise the producers decided to take the whole thing in that direction." There was a slight pause, before he added, almost as if an afterthought, "I guess we should be glad that we're able to advance to the next round in the tournament."

"Hopefully, we won't run into any complications like we had this time." Zero looked at X as he said.

"Yeah…" X sighed, frowning. "But… I still have the feeling that we'll run into Mega again, sooner or later…"

"You mean the whole thing with Tetra Codes and plunging the world into darkness?" Hub had remembered the Blue Myth's conversation with Flashman before he had been deleted.

X nodded. "For some reason… I don't think it's going to end there." The blue Navi turned to the two Hikari twins as he spoke. "It's just a feeling I have… But for some reason, I have a feeling there's something more going on here that we don't know about." He then paused, attempting to recall his previous conversation with the Blue Myth. "Before she left, Mega had said something about a group of Navies looking for the Tetra Codes…"

"So you're saying that this might be the work of another organization?" Despite his denseness sometimes, Netto had also caught on to what X was implying. "I mean… So far, whenever some sort of terrorist organisation shows themselves, Mega gets involved one way or another, so…"

The four of them were interrupted mid-conversation as Netto's PET began beeping.

"It's a video call!" X quickly opened the tab for incoming calls. "Here, I'll patch the call through."

"Netto-kun, are you there?" As the call was accepted, Maylu appeared on the screen of the PET. The girl looked concerned. "U-uh… I'm sorry for calling you so suddenly like this… But are you free right now?"

"I'm not doing anything, no." Netto answered. "What is it?"

"W-well… Can you come to the Metro Station right now?" Maylu looked away slightly as she continued. "There's… Well, you'll see what I mean when you arrive! But please hurry, okay?"


	141. Extra 7 (H)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay so my Mom got back from Korea and we went to Pizza Hut and there was this woman next to us that literally sent the food back to the kitchen like 5 times, and then she suddenly opened her phone and began playing this music and singing to it. It was so surreal. I was kind of worried if anyone spat in her food. Those kinds of things still happens sometimes. Also, have another extra chapter where I explore the consequences of Rockman taking the Heat Blade for Forte.

"Forte…"

Rockman gasped, then whined when Forte took his lips in his once more, the larger Navi's hand trailing down his soft skin in gentle, teasing strokes as Rockman writhed undeathe him, not unlike many of the other times when the two Navies came together. The blue Navi tensed as Forte broke their kiss, and began biting down lightly onto his neck, the slight hint of fangs grazing against the exposed skin. "N-nh…"

"That's it... You're so good to me…" Forte murmured, more to himself as he dragged his tongue over the place he'd just bitten, pleased when Rockman had remained entirely compliant safe for the slight twitch of nervous anticipation as he did so.

"A-ah!" Rockman jumped when Forte had ground himself up against the smaller Navi's opening, the hard length parting and rubbing against the soft petals but not quite plunging into the small opening between them. Rockman shivered at the stimulation as he laid on his back, his legs spread as Forte had forced his thighs around the larger Navi's waist. "F-Forte! Don't do that…!"

Smirking, the dark Navi merely bucked his hips upwards once more, coaxing another gasp from the Navi below him as the soft lips were split further apart, a small gush of slick leaking out from the opening hidden in between them, some of the fluid smearing onto the base of his length. "Alright, I won't tease you needlessly." He patted one of the blue Navi's quivering thighs gently. "Come. Turn for me."

"..."

Blushing, Rockman allowed Forte to move him so that he was laying on his chest instead, his blush deepening when he felt the other Navi taking his hips and pulling it upwards so that his current pose was not unlike some sort of fawning dog, and while he much preferred for him to be facing the other Navi when they actually did it, he couldn't quite deny that Forte was still able to give him just as much pleasure in this position, or regardless of whatever position they were in- Though the blue Navi was uncertain if this was a good thing or not.

Squeezing his eyes shut, Rockman fully expected Forte to shealth himself fully, filling him to the brim once the dark Navi had him where he'd wanted him, but he was confused by the prolonged pause as Forte seemingly did nothing. Reopening his eyes, Rockman attempted to turn the best he could, to ask Forte what was wrong, but he was surprised when he felt fingers trail down his back, unwillingly gasping when they touched a particularly sensitive spot on his back.

"Hm." Rockman could almost hear the frown in Forte's voice, and he knew what the other Navi was concerned about instantly.

While the wound from when he had pushed Forte away from the possibly-fatal attack had healed, it left behind a long, jagged scar on his back. It wasn't as deep as it could have been, as Rockman had been fully expecting the blow and had attempted to get both him and Forte away from the line of attack the best he could, but the blue Navi still hadn't been quick enough to avoid it completely.

Rockman attempted to suppress a shiver as Forte gently trailed the diagonal mark across his back, the skin there slightly more sensitive than the rest of his body. "F-Forte?" He asked, softly. "Is… Is something wrong…?"

"...Does it hurt?" Forte asked, instead of answering, and it took Rockman a moment to realize the dark Navi had been talking about the scar across his back.

"No, not really." Rockman said, before he sensed Forte's doubt, and quickly added. "It- It feels weird when you touch it. But it doesn't hurt…"

"It went quite deep." It was obvious that Forte still wasn't entirely convinced, but he was unable sense any major discomfort from Rockman, either. "I'm surprised that you haven't..." He trailed off slightly. Then, in a softer voice, he continued. "...You shouldn't have done that."

"Forte…" Rockman sighed. He felt slightly indecent going over something like this again when he was literally laying naked underneath the other, but he felt like it needed repeating. "I told you. That attack was coming straight towards you. I couldn't just stand by and watch."

"You should have. You could have been deleted."

"No I wouldn't." Rockman argued, turning his head slightly. "You were the one in danger of being deleted. I couldn't just do nothing."

He could clearly see Forte's displeasure as the two of their gazes met, but Rockman wasn't swayed in the slightest. He just couldn't fathom ignoring those in need, even if that Navi had been his rival and one of his worst enemies in his previous timeline.

During their multiple encounters, though the dark Navi had never talked about it in length, Rockman was made aware that Forte's hate, anger and distrust had originated from some sort of betrayal in his past. He never knew what it was, since the Forte from his timeline had never told him of what had happened, so he never truly understood why Forte had taken extreme measures to distant and isolate himself both physically and emotionally from everyone, and why the dark Navi had found it so hard, and outright refused to even consider opening up, or trusting anyone who wasn't himself.

His trust and reliance on himself and himself alone was what had allowed him to go from hell to back. It was something that Rockman distinctly remembered Forte telling him during one of their battles. And it was only until he had saw for himself what had happened to Forte, how the dark Navi had been cornered by the rest of the SciLab Navies and had been forced to fight for his life for something he hadn't done, all the while the person he'd trusted the most never came to his aid…

It was then that Rockman could slightly understand why the Forte from his timeline was the way he was. The hate and loathing was clear enough, but there was also the unwillingness and fear of possibly trusting another person, least he would be betrayed once more. Despite the best of his efforts, Rockman had never managed to let Forte see that there was no need for the dark Navi to be distant and isolated, that putting your trust in another person wasn't setting yourself up for betrayal or heartbreak. But this time…

Well, he'd originally just wanted to show Forte that he could be trusted as a companion, so perhaps the other Navi wouldn't be as isolated and miserable as he'd been in his previous timeline. He certainly hadn't expected the other to go ten steps further and take him as a mate.

"N-nnuh…?" Somehow, during his internal monologue, Forte had moved him so that now one of Rockman's legs was hooked over his shoulder, while the other was still pressed firmly onto the ground as the smaller Navi now laid sideways. He blushed, bringing both hands to his chest at the position he now found himself in, quickly noticing the strange look in Forte's eyes as he did so.

"...You're never going to do anything like that again." Forte told him, his red eyes narrowing. "I won't allow it."

Before Rockman could even ask what he'd meant, Forte had thrusted his hips forward, burying himself to the hilt, and whatever Rockman had wanted to say came out as some sort of long, inchorient cry.

"You'll never have to risk your own deletion for anyone." Forte mumbled, more so to himself as he continued bucking into the Navi below him, Rockman letting out a series of whines and sobs in response as each inward push spread his insides wide apart, the tip of the other's length bumping against that innermost part of him repeatedly. "You'll never be doing anything like that again. Not if I can help it."

In his state of panic and arousal, Rockman couldn't quite understand what Forte was saying. He only knew that he wanted Forte to  _please, don't stop, yes, in there-_

Rockman came with a harsh shudder, his body tensing up and clutching around his dominant before he collapsed in both ecstasy and exhaustion, breathing in short little gasps and whimpers when the Navi above him didn't relent in his thrusts, the blue Navi writhing unwillingly whenever Forte would grind up against that particularly sensitive spot within him.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you." He heard Forte tell him. "You're  _mine._ "

With that, Rockman yelped when he felt the other Navi bit the back of his neck, just as a warmth feeling began spreading inside of him. His body accepted the warmth eagerly, having been rendered compliant and receptive by the pleasure Forte had given him.

"Forte…?" Recovering slightly, Rockman was about to ask what Forte had meant with that, but he was silenced as Forte kissed him once more, guiding both of Rockman's legs to hook around his waist this time, before the blue Navi quickly found himself unable recall what he'd wanted to ask the other to begin with.


	142. Chapter 122

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So, I may or may not start the next spinoff for LGOTN, which is AUWEITSBR3. I've have the majority of the plot points decided, but I'm still unsure with this as this spinoff contains a lot of elements form the current arc, and while this spinoff, like Yokai Scandal, is completely unrelated to the main story, I'm not sure if my viewers would want to read two stories with such similar elements at the same time, so please let me know in the comments or reviews if you'd like me to go ahead with AUWEITSBR3, or hold off until the next arc, or something. Anyways, on with the story.

The first thing Netto and Hub noticed as they neared the Metro station was that Maylu was with some other child that didn't appear any older than six, and that the girl was desperately attempting to calm the crying child down as he bawled his eyes out, not caring in the slightest if any passerbys happened to see what was happening.

"Maylu-chan, what's wrong?" Netto asked once the two twins got near, giving the crying child a weird look. He didn't recall ever seeing the child in Den City before. "And who's this kid? Do you know him?"

"N-no! I don't!" Maylu appeared concerned and worried at the same time. "I- I was just passing by when I saw him crying in front of the Metro station, all by himself! I thought he might have lost his family, or something, so I asked if he knew where any of his family were, but…"

She was interrupted by another loud, distressed wail coming from the child, and Maylu winced when the crying seemed to have gotten even louder.

"Alright, alright, shhh, please, don't cry!" Hub attempted to calm the small child, though his efforts were met with little success. "What's wrong? Are you lost?"

"N-noooo!" The child said in between hiccups and sobs. "M-my br-brother… Big brother…!"

Netto, Hub and Maylu all gave each other a look. They seemed to have pieced together what had happened.

"Who's this brother of yours?" Netto asked him. "Maybe we can help you find him?"

"Hmm, hnnnmmn…" The child appeared to be actively making an effort to stop his crying at this. He sniffed, then rubbed his nose. "My brother… He's th-the number one Net Battler in the whole entire world!"

There was a visible pause.

"N-no, what we meant was… What's your brother's name?" Hub tried again. "If we know your older brother's name, we can help you ask around and find him that way…"

"No!" The child's temporary calmness had flopped back into hurt and distress in an instant. "My brother's the number one Net Battle in the whole entire world! He's the best at Net Battling! You should know who he is!"

With that, the three of them watched as the small child began to scream and bawl once more.

"Oh dear…" Maylu frowned. The girl was completely lost at this point. "What should we do…?"

Just as the three friends attempted to come up with something else that could possible help the small child, they heard a familiar voice in the distance.

"...Wait- Wait! I'm late, I'm late!" Turning towards the voice, the group of three realizing that the voice belonged to Dekao, the boy running towards them at the entrance of the Metro Station, waving one of his hands frantically. "Chisao- I'm here!"

The change was noticeable immediately, and the boy- Chiaso- looked up, his eyes no longer brimming with tears, but instead shimmering with joy and happiness. "Big brother!"

Shocked, Netto, Hub and Maylu watched as Chiaso took a running start, before leaping into Dekao's arms.

"Wh- Wait a minute!" Netto couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Dekao! You have a younger brother?!"

"He's my younger cousin!" The other boy clarified.

"Younger cousin?" Hub was just as confused. "You never told us you had a younger cousin before!"

"Well…" Dekao rubbed the back of his head. "He's from another city… And it's not like you ever asked!"

"Alright…" Maylu accepted that answer, but only because there was another more important one that was troubling her. "But why was he calling you the number one Net Battler in the world?"

Dekao paled instantly. "W-w-well… Th-that's… That's because…!"

"That's because he  _is_!" Chiaso decided to pipe up at that exact same moment. His enthusiastic response only served to make the other three even more confused.

"What do you mean he's the number one Net Battler in the world?" Netto asked Chisao, before he made the connection in his mind. He turned to Dekao, who was sweating nervously. "Wait a minute… Don't tell me you-"

"My big brother is the  _best_  Net Battler in the entire world! He'd said so!" Chisao continued, completely oblivious to what was happening. "Big brother is so good at Net Battling, he'd joined the N2 out of boredom because he always beat all of you!"

"O-oh…" Hub laughed embarrassedly, unsure of what to say. "Is… Is that true…?"

Neither Netto nor Maylu said anything. They didn't really have the heart to as they saw the look of absolute admiration Chisao gave Dekao. "Big brother! You'll beat everyone else in the tournament and win the N2, right?"

"Eh… Heh heh heh…" It was now painfully obvious that the boy had dug himself into a corner. "W-well… I, uh…"

The rest of the group winced. They all knew that Dekao hadn't had it past the second round of preliminaries- In fact, besides Hub and Netto, Maylu and Roll had been the only ones among their group of friends that had been successful in completing their assigned task in the second round and will be proceeding to the third round- The competition had undoubtedly gotten a lot stronger since the first N1 tournament.

"H-hey, Chisao…" Maylu attempted to change the subject- While she knew that Dekao would have to confront Chisao with the truth sooner or later, she didn't want it to be in the middle of the street where everyone could see. "So, why are you visiting Den City?"

"To visit my big brother, of course!" Chisao puffed up his chest. "And to see Yoka Zoo!"

"Yoka Zoo?" Hub blinked. He knew they were going to have a field trip to that zoo several days later, but he didn't realize that Dekao's younger cousin would be tagging along as well.

Chisao, however, didn't seem interested in continuing their current conversation. He turned to Dekao. "Big brother! Let's go back and you can tell me all about how you beat everyone else in the N2, okay?"

Dekao couldn't really say no. "W-well… Alright!" He then turned to the other three of the group. "I'll- I'll see you three around later, alright?" With that, the boy had left with his younger cousin, leaving the rest of the friends to wish him good luck in getting out of the mess he'd gotten himself in.


	143. Chapter 123

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Oh my fucking god. Firstly, I'm sorry for the massive hiatus I took. Several not-so-good things happened one after another, and I had to take several days off writing this to take care of it. I'll get into what happened in more detail at the end of the chapter, so for now, let's continue with the story.

"We've arrived at Yoka Zoo now, class!" From the front of the group, their class teacher, Mariko-sensei said cheerfully. She wanted to lay down some ground rules and give the group of children some reminders before they all dispersed and ran off into all sorts of different directions. It was difficult to tell that a lot of the children were already itching to rush towards the exhibits of their favourite animals in the zoo. "Remember what we've gone through on the bus, and remember to behave yourselves, class!" Mariko-sensei reminded them with a smile. "You're free to explore the zoo now, but remember- We'll be meeting up in front of the bus station in five hours!"

"Yes, Mariko-sensei!"

"Netto, Hub." Maylu walked over to the two twins as the rest of the class went about minding their own business. The two boys smiled back. "I've waited all week for this field trip! It's so exciting to finally see all of the animals, right?"

"Same. I can't wait to see the penguins." Hub grinned, before the boy seemed to have noticed something out of the corner of the eye. "Hey… Look…"

Netto and Maylu turned to where Hub was looking at, and saw what the boy was hinting at instantly. Dekao was with the child they saw several days prior, Chisao, though the attitude between was noticeably and drastically different from the last time they saw the two, and the three of them noted that Chisao appeared a lot more quiet than they'd remembered, while Dekao, for his part, just appeared sullen.

"...I guess Chisao must have found out the truth…" Maylu realized. "Poor guy…"

"Yeah…" Netto couldn't help but agree. The boy had also saw just how much trust and faith Chisao had in Dekao, and while their friend had probably just wanted to impress his younger cousin, it had probably still hurt to know that his elder cousin wasn't as impressive as he had made himself out to be.

"To be fair, Dekao really shouldn't have lied to Chisao in the first place." Hub sighed. "But we shouldn't be gossiping about them as well. Let's just leave them alone and hope they can resolve this between themselves."

"Well, alright." Netto rubbed the back of his head. "So, where'd you guys wanna go first?"

"What about the new exhibit?" Maylu suggested. "I've read up on their website before the trip, and they recently got a new red panda exhibit!"

"Red panda?" Netto raised an eyebrow. "You mean, as in a panda that has red fur?"

"Actually, red pandas don't resemble pandas at all." Hub explained as he turned to his younger sibling. "They look more like racoons."

"What?" Netto appeared skeptical. "Then why'd they call them red pandas?"

"H…Hey! How should I know?"

"Anyways, the new exhibit is a really big deal to a lot of people, because of how endangered red pandas are." Maylu continued, tilting her head slightly. "If I remembered correctly, then the red panda they have in the zoo was rescued from poachers- people who hunt endangered animals." The girl then paused briefly, before she grinned, recalling something else. "Oh! I think they named it Kilian- Isn't that cute?"

"Wait- They actually named the red panda?" This time, Hub was the one who was baffled. He didn't think a lot of zoos tended to name the animals in their exhibits.

"Uh-huh!" Maylu nodded. "In fact, I think a lot of the animals in Yoka Zoo are named!"

"But if it's such a big deal, then wouldn't the exhibit be really crowded right about now?" Netto pondered out loud. Then, in a softer voice, he continued. "I think we should use this opportunity to go check out the rest of the exhibits. Then, when everyone's done with the red panda exhibit, we can go back and check it out! That way, we can get a clear look at all of the animals!"

Hub and Maylu blinked. They hadn't considered that before. "...That's not a bad idea…" Hub agreed once he'd finished thinking over the suggestion. "Alright then, in that case, I think we should go north from here, before circling back to the rest of the zoo from the lion exhibit. That way, we can visit the majority of the exhibits along the way, leaving us some time to check out the new one before we leave."

"I'm fine with that." Maylu said, giving her skirt a slight twirl. "Let's go, then!"

The rest of the morning passed without much issue, with the three of them looking at the various animals in the exhibits. It was when they were nearing the lion exhibit when Maylu approached Netto once more. "H-hey… Netto-kun?"

"Huh?" Netto looked at her. "What is it?"

"..." The girl was quiet for a moment, seemingly uncertain where to begin. "Um… N-Netto… If you were involved in anything dangerous… y-you'd tell me, right?"

"Wh-what?" While Netto attempted to appear outwardly surprised, internally, he was in shock.

Neither he nor Hub had told any of their friends about their involvement in defeating WWW or Gospel- They'd decided to keep it a secret among themselves. Neither of the two twins wanted to cause their friends unnecessary worry, and having them know about the two of their involvement with defeating terrorist organizations would most definitely cause unnecessary worry.

"I saw what happened on the N2." Maylu explained quickly. "I… I know that what they show might not be entirely ture, which is why I wanted to ask you."

"That's… That's just silly!" Netto laughed, masking his nervousness. "Why would you think that?"

"Well…" Maylu fidgeted with her fingers briefly. "It's just that, we were there when the Blue Myth appeared, and just moments later, the entire Battle Dome collapsed! And now, she's appeared once more in the N2..." Having made her point, the girl trailed off briefly. "A-again… i'm not sure how much of it has been exaggerated by the producers of the N2, but if it's true, and you're dealing with something dangerous… You have to tell me, alright? E-even if I know I'm not that much help, I'm still your friend- and friends support each other, alright?"

Netto almost didn't suppress the flinch backwards when Maylu met his gaze. He knew it wasn't right of him to keep something that important from her, but he also just couldn't bring himself to tell her. What if she ends up putting herself in danger because of him? The boy would never be able to live with himself if that were to have happened.

' _...I'm sorry, Maylu-chan.'_

"Alright." Netto said. "There isn't anything like that going on. But if there is, I'll tell you. Okay?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Alright. Sorry for the late update and shorter chapter, but here's basically what happened.
> 
> This was partially my fault, but an upcoming event required us to line up for placement bookings for promotion and other miscellaneous things at the school's office. The thing was, most of these things were in high demand, and clubs tended to stay overnight so they can get first dibs on the resources, and since I was technically the person in charge for that event, and I forgot to ask if anyone else was free to come back on that day, I ended up having to sleep overnight on the floor outside of the office last-minute. The aircon was on ridiculously high, and sleeping on the floor without a sleeping bag didn't help and I fell sick the several next days. Coupled with the fact I still have other things to do, and that several of our seniors were practically breathing down my neck for updates on the event, that was why I wasn't able to update this story for the past several days.
> 
> Not sure what the next chapter is going to be. I still don't feel all too good, and I might just write porn in the next chapter to cheer me up. I don't know. Anyways, sorry for the hiatus once more, and thank you for sticking with LGOTN.


	144. Chapter 124

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Shout out to Penta on Megaman Amino who recognized the red panda as Kilian from KilianExperience, though there was another reference to another YouTuber in the previous chapter when Hub said "Let's head north… to the lion's exhibit", and that was in reference to Northernlion. Still, one out of two isn't bad at all.
> 
> Also, I don't recall who, but someone brought up the possibility of X/Roll in LGOTN, since Rock/Roll is pretty much canon in the BattleNetwork series... And after thinking about it for a while, I don't think X/Roll will be a thing in this fic, the main reason being the Rockman in this fic is from the manga, and it's never explicitly stated that Roll has a relationship outside of friendship with Rockman in the manga. No offense to anyone who likes that pairing.

"Oi!" Netto yelled as he stood, his upper body leaning just over the railing. In the caged habitat underneath him, the lion merely yawned, before flopping back down onto its belly, quickly falling asleep once more.

"What's wrong with it?" Netto asked as he turned back to Hub and Maylu. "Is it sick or something? It just keeps napping!"

"I don't know, but I think cats in general tend to sleep a lot." Maylu grinned slightly as she said.

"But… That's a lion. Not a cat." Netto was only half-certain, even as he said this.

"Well, you're right that cats and lions aren't exactly the same thing." Hub turned to him as he explained. "But if I remember correctly, both cats and lions are underneath the same family- So lions are basically just really bigs cats." Seeing the confused look on the other's face, the elder of the two Hikaris quickly added that last part.

"Man…" The disappointed was obvious as Netto slumped down onto the railings. "And here I thought lions were all cool and stuff, and now we can't even hear it roar…" As he said this, the younger Hikari turned his head to the other exhibit just next to the lion's. "Instead…"

"Oh!" Maylu understood what Netto meant immediately. Still, she was still unwilling amused by how exaggeratedly annoyed Netto was acting. "I know- I've heard they were really vocal animals, but I still didn't expect them to be this noisy!"

Just next to the lion's habitat was another large, enclosed area where all of the zoo's foxes were located, and in an extreme contrast to the large feline next to them, the foxes' exhibit was completely bustling with energy. Loud yipping and yeowling can be heard from the neighbouring exhibit every so often, and the three of them could sometimes see one of the foxes bouncing up and down alongside the wall separating the foxes' habitat from the lion's, barking and whining excitedly, occasionally managing to poke its head over the wall but quickly falling back down moments later.

"...It's like it's not even afraid…" Netto mumbled out loud. "There's a lion right there, for crying out loud!"

"Maybe they're friends?" Maylu offered, tilting her head slightly.

In response, Netto just gave her an incredulous look. "Are you kidding me? That lion's like… Ten times the size of that fox! How can they be friends?"

"I don't know…" The girl just pouted. "Maybe they were raised together when they were both cubs? Maybe that's why they don't seem bothered by each other?"

"You're just making things up as you go along!"

"Sorry!" Maylu couldn't quite suppress her giggles. "But you gotta admit- It'd make for an interesting story if it were true! Wouldn't it?"

"Uh…" Hub coughed as he saw the two of their conversation trailing off. "Hey. If we circle back now, we could have some time to look at the red panda exhibit before we have to leave."

"Oh! I didn't realize it was that late already!" The girl was surprised for a brief moment. "Alright- Let's head back now!"

Giving the lion exhibit one last glance, the three of them prepared to head back the way they'd come from, but a distant sound had caught their attention.

"Hey… Do you guys hear that, too? Or is it just me…?" Netto was the first to speak up.

"No. I hear it, too." Hub frowned as he looked around, attempting to determine where the sound was coming from. "But what…?"

"It… It sounds like someone's screaming?" Maylu wasn't quite sure of what she'd heard. "I… I think it's getting closer!"

"...heeeEEEEEELP MEEeeeeeeee!"

A dark shadow swept over the three of them, causing the three children to look up, and what they saw completely shocked them.

"Chisao?!" Maylu recognized the small child instantly- The boy was being held by some sort of vulture-like bird with its large talons, screaming and crying in terror as he was carried away.

"Did… Did that really just happen?!" The sheer absurdity of what he'd just saw made Netto question if he was still in bed, having a dream that had somehow began to spiral out of control. Just as the sound of the crying child faded, another voice gradually grew near, this one a lot more familiar to them.

"...w-wait! Ugh- Stupid bird…!" Turning back, the three of them saw Dekao running towards them- or, more accurately, after the giant bird that had kidnapped his younger cousin. "Chisao! Chisao!"

"What happened, Dekao?" Hub asked the larger boy once he got near. "How did Chisao suddenly get carried away by that vulture?"

"I- I don't-" The boy briefly fell into a series of coughs and wheezes, clearly out of breath from running. "I don't know! But it's terrible, I tell you!"

"What's terrible?" It was Netto this time.

"It's happening all over the zoo!" Dekao quickly began explaining. "Animals are going crazy! They're all escaping their cages and attacking everyone in sight!"

"Wh-what?" Maylu's eyes widened in fear. "That's horrible! We have to get out before anyone gets hurt!"

"I don't know where the other's are, but you three can find a way out of here!" Dekao told them. "I'm not leaving until I get Chisao-"

He was interrupted by a loud roar. The group of friends went dead still, before daring to look back to where the roar had come from. As suspected, the lion that had been napping in its habitat just moments prior had now somehow, miraculously, escaped its enclosure, and was now stalking near them, snarling as its tail flicked left to right. Besides it, the small form of the fox was also approaching them, making chattering noises as it bared its fangs aggressively.

"H-hey, what do you know?" Hub laughed nervously upon seeing the scene before them. "They really are friends, after all."

With a howl, the fox leapt towards them, the group of four quickly turning on their heels, not even daring to look back when the roar of the lion followed quickly after.

"Damnit! First we get NetNavies acting like animals, and now we get actual animals chasing us!" Netto didn't need to look backwards to know that the lion and fox duo were hot on their pursuit. "Why're they suddenly acting like this this time?!"

"I don't know- But maybe it has something to do with the electronic chip that the zoo puts inside all of the animals!" Maylu yelled back as they ran for their lives.

"Electronic chips?!" Having ran all the way to where Netto, Hub and Maylu were just moments prior, Dekao was having trouble keeping up. "What electronic chips?!"

"The animals in the zoo have some sort of chip implanted into them- It's to help the zookeepers keep track of their health and moods, if I'm not mistaken…" Maylu quickly explained. "Maybe they're acting like this because something's gone wrong with the chips…?"

"What, you mean, like a virus, or something?" Netto frowned. He didn't know about any electronic chip implanted inside of the animals, but he didn't believe that the animals were acting up suddenly without reason. "If it's really a virus, then me and Nii-san will take care of it- No problem!"

"What're you doing?!" Hub almost screamed at his younger sibling when he saw him swiftly grabbing a piece of rock from the ground. Netto promptly ignored him.

"You two go find Chisao and make sure he's alright!" Netto told Maylu and Dekao. "Me and Nii-san will find some way to return the animals back to normal!"

"Netto- Don't!" Maylu appeared to have suspected what the boy was about to do, but it was already too late. With a swing of his hand, Netto turned threw the stone at the lion chasing them, hitting it on its snout and stunning it for a brief moment. The younger of the two Hikaris took this moment to grab his elder sibling's wrist and pulled him towards the fork in the road. The enraged roar of the lion followed them moments later.


	145. Chapter 125

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Went to a convention yesterday and bought a CupHead fanbook. It was kinda weird, since the media I consume is mainly in English, and that fanbook was in Chinese, since, you know, it was made by a Chinese gal. It's always a different feeling experiencing the same medium in a different language. Weird.

"Phew… I… I think we lost them…"

Both Netto and Hub were sat on the side of the path, gasping for breathe. In their panic to get away from the lion and fox that had been chasing them, the two had long since lost track of where they were heading, and Hub was the first to point this out. "Wait… Where are we…?"

"Huh?" Netto looked around, but the boy didn't see anything around them which he recognized. "I dunno… But I think we're still inside of the zoo…"

"Yeah. I didn't think we could've left any other way outside of the exit, anyways…" Shakily, Hub stood back up, taking in his surroundings before noticing several empty cages with display panels in front of them. "Hey- There's some panels in front of the other exhibits we saw back there. Maybe we can plug into them to figure out where we are?"

Netto saw it only after his elder sibling had said it. "Alright- Do you think it connects to the main server of Yoka Zoo?" He gave Hub a look as he pondered out loud. "Maybe we can check out what's wrong from there!"

The elder of the two tilted his head. "I don't know- But I suppose there's no harm in trying."

As the two twins went over towards the display panel, they were able to make out the words written on it.

"Python…?" Netto's tone was questioning.

"It's some kind of big snake." Hub barely managed to suppress a shiver as he said this. The boy couldn't even begin to imagine what would happen if someone were to be unfortunate enough to get wrapped up in its coils. "Plug in-"

"Rockman X!"

"Rockman Zero!"

"Transmission!"

In two flashes of light, X and Zero had entered into the computer inside of the display panel. "Zero! What do you see?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary…" The Navi replied as he checked the area for anything suspicious. Then, he noticed a lone programme wandering around inside of the panel computer. "Hey!" He called out towards the programme.

"E-EH?" The programme shrunk back nervously as X and Zero approached it. "WH-WHO ARE YOU TWO?"

"It's alright. We're not going to hurt you." X told the programme quickly, attempting to calm it. "We just wanted to know what happened."

"WH-WHAT HAPPENED…?" The programme took a brief moment to gather itself before it spoke once more. "OH! IT WAS TERRIBLE! SOMEONE HAS HACK INTO THE ZOO'S MAIN COMPUTER SYSTEMS AND IS CONTROLLING ALL OF THE ZOO'S ANIMALS TO ATTACK THE VISITORS!" The programme shook in fear and distress. "I CAN'T CONTACT ANY OF MY FRIENDS IN THE MAIN COMPUTER! I HOPE THEY AREN'T…"

"So the chip's aren't just malfunctioning- Someone's really controlling the animals through the chips!" Netto quickly realized. They had to stop whoever it was before things could get any worse. "Hey! Is there any way we can get from the main computer systems from here?" He didn't think they would be able to get into the Yoka Zoo office physically, considering all of that rampant animals that were now roaming around the place.

"WELL… GETTING FROM HERE TO THE ZOO'S COMPUTER SYSTEMS WON'T BE TOO DIFFICULT, PER SEY…" The programme began explaining. "ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS TO FOLLOW THE MAIN PATH, AND YOU'LL GET THERE SOON ENOUGH. BUT…"

X raised an eyebrow. "But…?"

"U-UM… I'M NOT TOO SURE ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED MYSELF…" The programme fumbled around a bit with its words. "B-BUT… THE VIRUSES THAT WERE RELEASED AMONG THE ZOO'S SYSTEMS MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN INTO THE DATA STORAGE SYSTEM WE HAVE ON THE ANIMALS…"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Zero asked.

"I- I THINK SOME OF THE VIRUSES MIGHT HAVE ABSORBED THE DATA THERE…" The programme mumbled softly. "AND NOW… THEY ALL THINK THEY'RE ANIMALS…"

"..."

X put his hands over his face, while Zero didn't resist the urge to yell. "Again?! Seriously?!"

"THERE'S SO MANY VIRUSES OUT THERE, I'M NOT SURE IF YOU'LL BE ABLE TO MAKE IT TO THE COMPUTER SERVERS… BUT IT'S NOT ALL BAD!" The programme attempted to rectify the situation. "WHILE WE HAVE DATA ON THE ANIMALS IN THIS SCHOOL, WE ALSO HAVE OTHER DATA WE STORE THROUGHOUT THE DIFFERENT DISPLAY PANELS INSIDE OF THE ZOO!"

"And how's that data going to help us?" Zero groaned.

"HEY! THAT DATA ISN'T JUST ANY ORDINARY DATA!" The programme huffed. "IT'S DATA THAT HELPS US WITH MAINTAINING THE ANIMAL'S HEALTH AND MOOD! YOU MIGHT FIND THEM REALLY HELPFUL IF YOU HAPPEN TO COME ACROSS THEM! REMEMBER THAT!"

"A-alright…" While X was still skeptical about the use of the data the programme was mentioning, there was no time to argue about this. They had to make their way to the main computer system and stop the zoo animals from attacking everyone before anyone gets hurt. The Navi turned to his companion. "Zero, let's go."

"W-WAIT! BEFORE YOU GO…" The programme reached behind it with one of its head appendages, before quickly taking out an item data and handing it to X. "HERE! TAKE THIS WITH YOU!"

"This is… a rabbit doll…?" X was confused. Who would programme a rabbit doll in the cyberworld?

"THIS WAS ONE OF THE DATA THAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT!" The programme gave X a sharp nod. "YOU MAY FIND MORE SCATTERED AROUND THE ZOO'S SYSTEMS- HOLD ON TO IT, OKAY? YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN IT'LL COME IN HANDY!"

X and Zero gave each other a look.

"O...kay…" Zero mumbled. "Thanks, I guess."

With that, the two Navies made their way over to the wrap pad, quickly being teleported into the central area of the zoo's cyberworld, and what they saw shocked them.

"What th-" X gasped, his eyes wide. "There are viruses everywhere!"

A swarm of Fishy viruses swept past them, making clicking and whistling noises as they flew past. "D-dolphins…?" Having seen the same thing but with NetNavies before, Zero quickly recovered. "Ugh. We don't have time to be mulling about! The programme said the way to the main computer system is by following the main road, right? Let's not waste any time and head there right now!"

"Right!" X nodded.

Locating the main path connecting all of the display panels of the zoo, the two Navies navigated their way through the zoo's cyberworld, but their journey was swiftly cut short by a large Lavagon virus blocking their path.

"Damn it!" Zero cursed, summoning his sword. "We don't have time for this! Get out of our way, now!"

"Zero, wait!" X was the one to notice something off about this Lavagon virus. He quickly stopped Zero before the red Navi could attack. "Look…!"

Zero paused, mostly from bafflement, before he seemed to realize what X was hinting at; Instead of being afloat, this Lavagon virus was laying in a heap on the floor, flicking its tongue in and out as it made hissing noises. Zero blinked. "It thinks it's a snake…?"

Then, the two Navies both looked at the doll rabbit X was still holding in his hand up till this point, quickly making the connection.

' _Snakes eat rabbits, don't they…?'_

"Hey you!" Making up his mind, X yelled at the large dragon-like virus to get its attention. Once he saw the Lavagon virus turn its head towards him, he waved the the doll rabbit above his head. "Go get it!"

The blue Navi then tossed the doll off the side of the path. However, intrigued by the rabbit-shaped doll, the Lavagon leapt after it immediately, and X and Zero watched as the virus tumbled down onto one of the lower platforms, gulping the doll rabbit down in a single bite, and saving them the time and effort of having to actually fight the virus.

"...So that's what the programme had meant…" Zero was unwillingly intrigued.

X merely grinned at him. "What do you know? These data programmes are helpful after all- It'll save us the time and effort to fight through all of these viruses!" With that thought in mind, X ran ahead, the two Navies one step closer towards their goal. "Come on! Let's look out for more of these data programmes and we'll be at the main computer systems in no time!"


	146. Chapter 126

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Got myself a massive haul in preparation for the coming artist alley event. Probably not going to be able to make it all back in a day, but I guess I'm treating it more as a platform to spread my own art. Not sure if that's the right attitude to go about this, though.

"I think that's the last of them…" X said, more to himself than anything. Besides him were the forms of four TuffBunny viruses encircling a radio programme, attempting to parrot the voice playing from the device, even though all they could make were chirping noises.

"That certainly saves us the trouble of having to fight all of them." Zero turned to the final warp pad- The one that he suspected led to the main computer systems of Yoka Zoo. "That's good. We don't have any time or energy to waste."

"Right!" X nodded. "Let's find whoever's behind all this and put a stop to them!"

With that, the two Navies stepped forward, one after another, onto the warp pad. In a flash, the two of them were transported to their final location.

"This… This is the main computer system of Yoka Zoo?" X gasped once his eyes registered the scene before them; Instead of a tight, enclosed area with a central control point, the main computer system was littered with different pathways and datacubes scattered about the place, almost as if the cyberworld itself was attempting to replicate some sort of animal habitat in the real world.

"Why would anyone programme the main computer systems like this…?" Zero was baffled by what he saw as well. It was just so unconventional, and Zero wondered if many programmes happened to get lost in all of those intertwining pathways all over the place. However, he quickly snapped back into focus. "X, look- The main control panel's right there!"

The Navi quickly looked to where his companion was pointing towards. "Ah! I see it!" Right in the central of all of the data paths was a large, central platform, a stream of data flowing through a circular hole in its center, with a control panel placed right in front of it. Quickly yet carefully gauging the surrounding pathways, the two Navies were able to pick out the pathways to take in order to get to the central platform swiftly, occasionally taking the liberty to jump from one pathway to the next in the two were close enough. Once they got near, however, the two Navies noticed something else.

"...Huh?" X paused in his steps when he saw the figure sat in front of the control panel. It reminded him of the Spikey viruses that he often saw around the common net, but this one being extremely discoloured and disfigured somehow. "What sort of virus is this one now…?"

"X, wait. Something's not right…" As Zero grabbed X's wrist and stopping him from moving forward, he quickly noticed it. The figure before them had a Navi emblem. "It's a NetNavi!"

Having been foiled, the Navi in front of them snarled in annoyance. "Grr… So, you've figured me out…" It snorted, the tuft of its tail flicking in agitation. "Shame. I was hoping you'd get a little closer so I can tear you apart with my claws…"

"So you're the one who's been behind the zoo animals going wild!" There didn't seem to be any other explanation for the Navi's aggressiveness in X's mind. "Return them back to normal right now!"

"Grr… For a humanoid Navi, you're not very bright, are you?" The beast-like Navi narrowed its eyes, its bright pupils gleaming with ill intent. "You think I'm going to stop just because you ask me to? Why do you think I'm doing this to begin with?"

"Why…?" The Navi had probably meant it as a taunt, but his words actually got Zero wondering as he looked towards the center of the platform, where the pieces of data were flowing through the circular hole in the middle. Somehow, the data didn't seem to be simply disappearing into thin air, like how broken pieces of unwanted data tended to be lost over time, but they seemed to be forming into a stream, as if they were flowing somewhere…

"It's all just a distraction." Zero abruptly realized. "You're transporting something from the zoo's computer systems to somewhere."

"Wh-what?" X looked at Zero, startled. He hadn't realized! "What do you think it is?"

"N-nrgh! Enough talk! If you're here to stop me, then be prepared to be torn into strips!" Not wanting to give the two Navies a chance to figure more of its plan out, the beast-like Navi roared. "I, Beastman, shall be your opponent!" With that, the Navi shot forward instantly, its claws outstretched with the intend to harm.

"Yikes!" In his surprise, X just barely managed to dodge out of the way of Beastman's initial attack. Once he had recovered and looked towards where he last saw Beastman charging towards in anticipation for the beast-Navi's next attack, the blue Navi was quickly made aware to the fact that Beastman was nowhere to be seen- He'd lost track of him. "W...Where'd he go?"

Zero didn't appear to be doing any better. Much like X, the red Navi had also been taken by surprise by the sudden escalation of their situation, and had been rendered unable to locate their current opponent.

Then, he heard a loud growl coming from just besides him. Alarmed, Zero turned instantly, but he was slashed across the side by several long claws even before he could turn to face his attacker.

"Zero!" Seeing his friend collapsed onto the floor, X reacted on instinct. Summoning his buster, the blue Navi fired at Beastman, not even properly aiming his shot before taking it. Before his attack could connect with its intended target, however, Beastman leapt back, his large form disappearing behind a data cube not far from the two of them.

"Get back here!" Fueled partly by anger, and partly by panic, X fired another shot at the datacube Beastman was hidden behind, this time a charged shot, the blast successfully blowing the cubicle cover to pieces. Yet once the dust from the shot had parted, X was once again shocked to find Beastman disappearing entirely once more.

"Wh…"

Then, by sheer luck, X saw it. The flash of a dark figure darting across one of the many criss-crossing pathways above him out of the corner of his eye, and the blue Navi only had a moment to react and jump back, just as Beastman slammed into the ground before him, breaking the tilted floor completely with his long claws. Had X been where he was just a moment ago, the Navi would have been completely crushed.

Beastman glanced at him. Not quite impressed, but mostly annoyed that X was successful in avoiding his attack. "Grnn… Next time, you won't be so lucky!"

Sensing his chance, X took aim, but was knocked back when Beastman charged at him. He reeled, gasping for breathe when the large form of the beast-Navi slammed into him full force. As he collapsed and rolled onto the ground, the blue Navi was quick to train his buster on where he'd last saw Beastman, only to find that he'd completely disappeared from sight…

' _What's going on?'_  Panic and Fear shot through X's mind as he attempted to make sense of their disappearing foe.  _'How is he able to navigate through the area so quickly?!"_

Then, X's mind made the connection.

' _Oh no… This area… It's his habitat.'_


	147. Chapter 127

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I don't really wanna go back to school even though I know I have to and it's kind of for my own good. First world problems.

X was finding it increasingly difficult to keep track and keep up with their current opponent; the intricate pathways and scattered data cubes proved to be the perfect environment for Beastman to fight in. The beast-like Navi would strike when X had either lost track of him among the mess inside the computer system, or when the blue Navi was least expecting him, snarling and slashing his claws with wild fury, only to disappear back into his surroundings before X could recover and unleash his own counterattack.

It also wasn't helping that Zero had been heavily wounded by Beastman's initial attack, and it seemed that the beast Navi had taken note of this as well.

"Damn it!" X cursed as he just managed to counter one of Beastman's lunge attacks with a shot from his buster- The beast Navi's claws had been aimed directly at his companion. "Stop fighting dirty!"

"Tch." Zero narrowed his eyes as he watched Beastman slipping back into the surroundings, the red Navi still clutching his damaged arm, with broken pieces of data slipping out from his wound. "He doesn't just look like an animal. He even fights like one."

Watching the entire fight through their PETs, the Hikari twins also realized the trouble they were in.

"Shit… Everyone in the zoo's still in danger. We have to defeat him somehow!" Netto went through his Battle Chip folder, attempting to come up with a combination, or some sort of strategy that might allow them to come out of this ordeal relatively unharmed. "But… How do you hit an enemy that keeps on hiding like that?!"

"..." Hub narrowed his eyes, silently observing the situation. There had to be some sort of flaw in Beastman's attack pattern- The boy just had to figure out what it was. Though, with Zero as damaged as he was, he doubted that his NetNavi could execute any sort of plan they happened to come up with…

...Or, could he?

"I've got it." Hub said, suddenly, and Netto turned to his elder sibling, giving him a surprised yet baffled look.

"What do you mean, Nii-san?"

"We can't fight him, because he keeps on using the surroundings to his advantage, hiding from our view." Hub quickly explained to Netto. "But I have a plan to draw him out."

"Really?" Netto widened his eyes in wonder. This could potentially turn the tide of their battle! "What is it?"

"I don't have time to get into the details right now!" Hub brushed his question off. "You and X hang back for a moment. Zero and I will draw him out- When I give the signal, you two attack him with your strongest attack, okay?"

"Wh-what? You and Zero?" That made Netto pause- He didn't doubt his elder sibling's ability in Net Battling, but it was clear even to him that Zero was in a really bad shape for battling. The notion that the two of them would attempt to draw Beastman out to give he and his Net Navi an opportunity to counter attack just didn't sit well with the younger Hikari at all. "But- Zero's hurt! Wouldn't it be better if me and X drew him out instead?"

"There's no time for that!" Hub insisted once more. "We don't have any time to lose! Maylu and Dekao and Chisao might still be in danger as we speak- I'll explain everything later, but for now, just follow my lead, okay?"

"Alright... Fine." It was obvious that the younger Hikari wasn't happy with this decision, but he did acknowledge what Hub had said. They could argue about this later. "X- Fall back for now!"

"What?" Having been completely focused on his opponent, X didn't manage to catch the twin's conversation, so Netto's sudden request had confused him greatly. "But- Why?"

"It's alright, X." Zero appeared to have caught onto what Hub was planning, and X could only look at him as if the red Navi had gone mad.

"Are you crazy? I can't just leave you to fend for yourself- You're injured!"

"I'll be fine!" Zero just shot him a smile. "Trust me on this!"

Hesitantly, X nodded. When Beastman slashed his claws at him once more, the blue Navi didn't meet his attack head-on. Instead, he leapt back, opting to dodge out of the way of the beast-Navies attack, though as he did so, X had distanced himself from Zero- The blue Navi had been shielding his companion from Beastman's onslaught since the other Navi had gotten hurt. The change did not go unnoticed by the beast-like Navi.

With another howl, Beastman leapt once more, though he seemed to have completely forgotten about X this time around. Unsheathing his claws, Beastman raised them high above his head, fully preparing to slash them down towards Zero as he quickly approached the wounded Navi.

"Zero!" X blanched. He regretted his decision immediately.

"I've got you now!" Beastman snarled as he stood over Zero, his claws raised. "I'll tear you to shreds!"

With that, X nearly screamed out loud when Beastman brought his claws down, stabbing through the red Navi's shoulder. In a sudden surge of rage and panic, X dashed forward,his buster raised and charging with energy. " _You get away from him!_ "

Beastman didn't appear threatened by his behaviour. Instead, the Navi attempted to draw back and retreat back into the surroundings once more, before he realized that he couldn't- Something was pulling him back and stopping him from doing so. Confused and alarmed, Beastman turned his head, only to see what the problem was- Zero had grabbed ahold of the claws impaled in his shoulder, preventing Beastman from escaping.

"...! Y-you…!"

"Now, X! Shoot!"

X didn't need to be told twice. As the energy from his buster reached its peak, the blue Navi fired the shot directly at his target. "Giga Cannon!"

The beam of energy pierced through Beastman's chest through his back, nearly taking all of his torso off, and Beastman could only get out something in between a gurgle and a whimper before he collapsed onto the floor, the remnants of his data quickly fading into the air. X paid him no mind. He ran up towards Zero, the red Navi now kneeling on the floor. "Zero- What was that?! You could've gotten deleted!"

"Sorry, X." Even though his plan had worked, Zero at least had the decency to be embarrassed and apologetic that he'd made his companion worry with the stunt he'd just pulled. "But it was all Hub-san and I could come up with."

"What- Nearly getting yourself killed?!"

"No. Not that." Zero coughed awkwardly, looking away as he clutched his now-wounded shoulder. "Just using his animal-like tendencies against him."

X had to mentally tell himself to calm down. He was still extremely displeased with what Zero had done, but he also realized that they needed to talk this out. Not have a screaming contest. "Explain that to me."

"You noticed it early on as well, but you probably didn't draw the connection, but with how Beastman had been fighting, hiding around where he couldn't be seen before waiting for the perfect moment to strike?" Zero began, laying out his reasonings carefully. "He was acting like a predatory animal of some kind."

"Yes. I realize that." X huffed, crossing his arms. "How does that translate to letting yourself getting stabbed?"

"When predators hunt, they always go for the weaker prey." Zero explained as he stood back up, abiet shakily. "Had we been fighting against any other opponent, they could've easily told that we were setting up some sort of trap for them. But with Beastman…" The red Navi shook his head, chuckling softly at this. "Even when it should be intentional that I was opening myself up for an attack, his instinct probably overrode any logic code he had in him. I knew he wouldn't have been able to resist the urge to attack me, and that would be the perfect moment to immobilize him and give you an opportunity to strike back."

"..." X wasn't sure of what to say. He was still unhappy with what Zero had done, and even more so by the other Navi not telling him his plan beforehand, but he also couldn't deny that Zero's plan had ultimately worked in their favor.

"...We should probably turn the animals back to normal now." Sensing his opportunity to change the subject, Zero was quick to do so. "And see if we can find out what data they're transfering from the zoo's computer systems."

X wasn't oblivious to his intentions. "Don't think you're getting off that easily." He told Zero, before the blue Navi headed over to the control panel and accessed it. Quickly finding the bug that Beastman had placed in the systems and removing it. "That should do it… Now, to figure out what this data is all about…"

Tapping several keys on the control panel, X managed to stop the flow of data. The broken, dismembered pieces of data freezing where they were, before they slowly began to come together, taking on a reddish hue as they formed into a spherical shape.

"Wh… What's that?" It seemed apparent that the red sphere was meant to be some sort of programme, but Zero hadn't seen anything quite like it before.

"I… I don't know." X said, somewhat absent-mindedly as he stared at the red sphere in wonder. Then, he snapped back into focus. "Maybe I can-"

He was interrupted by a loud growl. Fear and panic slammed into the Navi instantly.

' _No way! He can't still be functioning after that, could he?!'_

Whipping around with his weapon raised, X braced for an attack, but what he saw only plunged him further down the hole of terror and dread.


	148. Chapter 128

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm glad no one has pointed out the plot hole in chapter 107 where Cossack's Navi obviously knows Rockman is called "Mega", but somehow the doctor himself doesn't know this until his conversation with "Mega", and me saying this will totally not bring attention to this plot hole.

X had suspected that perhaps Beastman might have survived the full force of his counter attack, and that the beast-Navi had recovered from the initial blow and was attempting some sort of retaliation of his own. What he didn't expect to see was the form of a dark, four-legged creature, snarling with menace as it absorbed the remnants of Beastman's data into its body.

"Th… That's impossible!" X cleared remembered the beast- Gospel, having been defeated during their final encounter with the organization and Sean. So how was it this smaller version of the multi-bug organism here? Was this some part of the beast that had survived, or did someone recreate the Gospel beast?

"X! Watch out!"

In his state of momentary shock, X didn't quite register Gospel roaring at him, before the beast leapt. Zero had only just managed to throw the two of them out of the way as the multi-bug organism charged past them, completely destroying and tearing the control panel behind them to shreds- Despite its noticeably smaller size, it was clear that the beast was just as dangerous as it had been.

"The panel!" X gasped, struggling to his feet.

"Don't worry- It shouldn't affect anything major in the zoo at the moment." Realizing X's concerned, Zero quickly attempted to reassure his companion. "Right now, let's just worry about that thing!"

Said  _thing_  had now turned back towards the two Navies, growling and flicking its tail in agitation, and X couldn't help to take a step back in fear- It would have been easier to take on the new threat, if both he and Zero hadn't been so injured from his fight with Beastman.

The multi-bug organism appeared to have sensed just as much, stalking closer and closer towards its weakened prey, keeping its form low and ready to pounce. Then, with a roar, Gospel took its leapt, it's maul wide open with the intent to kill, before a blue, polka-dotted ball slammed into the side of its head, the force of the collision throwing the multi-bug organism back, and X and Zero watched as the beast fell and rolled onto the ground, slowly skidding to a stop with a low whimper.

"Wh…" Zero stammered. Having been wounded on both his arm and shoulder, the red Navi knew he would not be able to avoid Gospel's second attack. He had been bracing himself for the impact. "What the heck was that…?"

Before he could dwell on this any longer, there was a series of soft clicking sounds, swiftly growing louder as something else approached them. Looking to the side, the two Navies now saw the form of another Navi, this one sprouting messy, brown hair from underneath their helmet and wearing some sort of dress that was striped white and light blue. A closer look revealed that the clicking sound had come from the heels the Navi was wearing.

X continued to stare in both awe and confusion, until the newcomer glanced in his direction as the Navi passed him. The moment their eyes met, X reeled back in shock and recognition. He hadn't recognized the other Navi by their appearance alone, but he did recognize the Navi's green eyes, and that certain look in them.

Then, X was snapped out of his train of thought when the other Navi broke eye contact. From that brief moment alone, Gospel had already recovered from the previous attack, the beast already steading itself for another attack.

Looking directly at Gospel, there was a noticeable twitch as the newcomer spoke. "Heel."

Gospel snarled and dug its claws into the ground.

"I said heel!"

With a roar, the beast lunged itself at the Navi. Cursing silently, the Navi summoned another ball- this one white and yellow- at their feet, before kicking the spherical object at the multi-bug organism full-force. The shot connected, and this time, the beast was sent flying.

"You are literally the worst!" The annoyance and slight anger was apparent as the Navi walked closer towards the downed beast. "Now drop it!"

Though it had been beaten, Gospel merely raised its head lazily, making several grunting and snarling noises, oddly seeming as if it were attempting to imitate what the Navi had just told it, before it got up and leapt backwards. A warp portal had conveniently manifested itself behind the multi-bug organism, and the beast disappeared swiftly from sight long before anyone could even have the opportunity to stop it.

"...Damn it…"

"Mega?" Now that the immediate danger had passed, X felt it was alright to get the other Navi's attention, the slight doubt in his mind regarding the newcomer's identity completely erased themselves once the Navi turned back towards him. He sighed in relief, though in contrast, he felt Zero stiffen momentarily behind him- The red Navi apparently hadn't caught onto who the other Navi was.

The three Navies were silent, unsure of what to say as Mega slowly walked back to where X and Zero had been standing. The sheer amount of times the two Navies ran into the Blue Myth was getting kind of ridiculous.

"...You're hurt." Mega said once she'd gotten close enough. She offered her hand to Zero. "...I can repair some of that damage."

There was an obvious moment of hesitation, before the red Navi took her hand awkwardly. "...I have so many questions."

"I can't answer them right now. It'll take too much time." Mega told him and she activated some sort of healing programme. "But I'll answer them the best I can at a later time."

Zero frowned. "When?"

"Later." Mega insisted, letting go of his hand once the programme had run its course. Then, she pulled up a display panel, a video feed of a vulture perched on top of a tree with a small child in its talons playing in the background.

X paled. He'd almost forgotten about that! "Oh no! Chisao!"

Placing a finger on the display screen, Mega dragged her finger from one corner of the screen downwards, a pop-up with a notification asking for confirmation before a series of code ran through the systems.

"I'll find you in the Internet City later." Mega told them as she finished what she was doing. "I'll answer whatever questions you have then." With that, the Blue Myth disappeared into a stream of data as she logged out of the computer systems.

"...Weird." Zero mumbled to himself. Then, he turned to the display screen the other Navi had left on. "What did she just do with that…?"

On the screen, the video feed of the vulture remained unchanged for several moments, before the bird suddenly peaked its head upwards. Grabbing Chisao with its talons once more, the bird swooped down from where it had been perched on the tree, dropping the small child onto the ground harmlessly before it flew off once more.


	149. Chapter 129

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So me and two other guys just sent in our application for the coming artist alley. We're all sharing the cost of the table so apparently we'll be listed as ChocoBeadsxRubieKraftsxInKamWeTrust. Rolls right off the tongue.

Things descalated rather quickly afterwards- The animals were returned to normal and were quickly caught and placed back in their respective habitats by the zoo's staff, but due to security concerns, the school trip had to be cut short. Sadly, that meant that the two Hikari twins and Maylu never got to see the red panda exhibit.

"What a shame…" Being rather fond of cute things, Maylu had really wanted to see the red panda herself. "...But at least Dekao and Chisao seemed to have made up with each other."

That much was true. After it was discovered that Dekao had been bluffing and making up all of his victories in Net Battles, the two boys hadn't talked much to each other, though now the two of the were acting the same as they were when the three of them had first ran into Chisao.

"I guess they've realized that despite what happened, they still really cared for each other." Hub mused as he looked at the two. They'd saw Dekao run nearly half the zoo in order to save Chisao from the vulture, and that had probably left an impact on the smaller boy, apparently much more than his brother supposedly being the number one Net Battler had.

"Hey, now that the school trip is cut short, that means we get the afternoon and evening free!" Maylu realized, turning to Netto and Hub. "Maybe after we get back to ACDC Town, we can hang out at the park?"

"Uh…" Netto glanced away briefly. " Maybe next time."

It was obvious that the girl hadn't been expecting that answer. She blinked. "W… Why not?"

"Just a bit tired after everything that happened." Hub said before Netto could say anything that might make them seem suspicious. "We'll hang out next time, though. For sure!"

* * *

Hub's excuse had been partly true- While the two of them were undoubtedly exhausted after having to run through a zoo full of wild and unpredictable animals, there was also another reason why the two of them had to decline Maylu's offer to hang out after the school trip.

"Maybe we're thinking too much into this?" X wondered out loud. He and Zero were currently wandering aimlessly around the Internet City after Netto and Hub had returned home and plugged the two of them into the network. "I know she said that she'll find us in the Internet City  _later_ , but that could have meant tomorrow, or a week later…"

"It would've been better if she wasn't so cryptic about everything." Zero rolled his eyes. "Would've saved us some time, too."

Then, just as he said that, a hand was placed on both of their shoulders.

"H-hey! It's just me!" Apparently sensing that they had been about to turn around and strike whoever had ambushed them, the Navi quickly spoke out. "Please don't scream- It would be really awkward if you did that…"

Recognizing the voice, X relaxed instantly, though as he turned around to face the other Navi, he found that Mega had once again taken a different form- This one having light, red armour and a green visor of sorts. It was oddly familiar to him, but X couldn't quite place his finger on it…

"Had you always been able to change forms like that?" Zero asked, slightly annoyed at being caught by surprise by the other Navi. "On that topic, how many forms do you have? It's like you turn into a completely different Navi everytime we see you."

"I… I've only ever had this ability since Gospel initially began surfacing." The Blue Myth then paused briefly, visibly considering something. "As to how many forms I have… I believe five, as of yet."

"Are they just for aesthetics?"

"Well… Not really. It's kind of complicated, but in short, switching forms allows me access to different abilities." Mega said as she walked forward, stopping when she realized X and Zero weren't following. "...Come on. We can't just stand around in the middle of the street. People will stop and look at us."

X and Zero gave each other a brief glance, but they saw her point- It would bring much less attention towards them if they acted as if they were just a group of friends mulling about in the Internet City. They quickly followed.

"So, uh…" While X had a lot of questions in mind that he'd wanted to ask the Blue Myth, the Navi still wanted to make sure if she was really comfortable with telling them first. He still remembered their encounter after Flashman's defeat. "Are you sure you're really ready to talk about… whatever happened?"

"I'm sure." Mega looked at him as she twirled a stray thread of hair nervously. "...Don't get me wrong. I still don't want either of you to get involved, since it's really my problem to deal with, but considering that it's affecting the two of you as well… I felt you at least deserved to know about what's going on."

"Alright…" Zero nodded. He didn't enjoy being left in the dark, and the Navi wasn't about to let his opportunity to clear things up go to waste. "Back there in Yoka Zoo's computer system- Was that really the same Gospel we fought on the cruise?"

"...It is." Mega said, before she quickly corrected herself, stammering slightly. "W-well, I mean, technically, it is. It's not really- It… It's a piece of the original Gospel."

"So a part of it did survive." X frowned. He could've sworn the multi-bug organism had been blasted to bits. It surprised him that the beast was so resilient that it managed to reform itself even after sustaining that sort of damage. "But… why did it appear in the zoo's computer like it had…?" It couldn't just be pure coincidence that they'd manage to run into Gospel right then and there, right?

Mega gave him a weird look. "I thought you'd know. He took the Tetra Code right in front of you."

Confused, X was about to ask what Mega had meant, before he suddenly recalled that Beastman had been sending some sort of data to an unknown location. The data had later revealed itself to be a programme, taking on the shape of a red sphere.

Zero appeared to have made the connection as well. "You mean to tell me that red orb was a Tetra Code?"

Mega nodded. "Gospel wasn't aiming for you when he first attacked. He was aiming for the Tetra Code."

"What are those Tetra Codes, anyways?" X asked. He recalled Mega having talked about them, but he still wasn't sure what they were, or what they did.

"And why would Gospel be after them?" Zero added. "Are the remnants of the Gospel organization still lurking about?"

"W-well…" It was obvious that Mega wasn't quite sure how to approach the series of questions. X and Zero waited for the Navi to answer, before she finally took a deep breathe. "...B-before I answer that… I need to tell you about something else."

X raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

Mega bit her lip. "...The history of the Black Shadow himself."


	150. Chapter 130 (Recollection 3)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Anyone playing Hogwarts Mystery? I've just gotten to the second year, and I understand a lot of the complaints concerning the wait time of refilling your stamina, but I used to be really into that Kim Kardashian game so I wasn't really that bothered by it. Thinking about doing some stickers of the mains from Year 1, though.

"W...What are the Tetra Codes, doctor Cossack?" Rockman asked, placing a hand on the side of his face. He didn't really know much about these codes other than that the newly formed group of NetNavies appeared to be hunting them down.

"To answer that, I need to tell you about what happened ten years ago- Around the same time when I created Forte… and when he disappeared." Cossack sighed, rubbing his temples tiredly. "It happened during the middle of my research into a NetNavi that could operate on their own- The original idea to join all network societies worldwide was created."

Rockman blinked. Having spent one of his functioning lifetimes in the future, the blue Navi had only ever known a network society in which all networks from all over the world were joined together through the cyberworld, and the idea that there was a time in which all of the world's network had been separated had never once occurred to him. "So… the internet as we know it now… It was created back then, ten years ago?"

"Close, but no." Cossack chuckled slightly. "It was what they had wanted and envisioned, but plans rarely did go according to plan, especially when dealing with such a new and foreign concept."

"The first attempted to create the new network society was… lacking, at best. There were many flaws and bugs in the cyber world we created, as many of the scientists were only working with the technology that were decades old at this point. As such, this version of the cyberworld was never released and adapted for public use…"

"But something happened with that network- Didn't it?" Rockman could almost see where this was going.

"You are correct." Cossack nodded. "While the flaws within the first network was generally acknowledged… We underestimated just how much worse the situation was than originally thought."

"Since this network was the first of its kind, it was called Alpha. After a series of testings, Alpha was determined to be a flawed network, so it was archived, buried away among the many data streams within SciLabs, though the foundation for the cyberworld you see now took much inspirations from Alpha, this version of network society didn't have many of the problems that Alpha had, and it was the cyberworld which was later adapted into the networld society in which the world is now familiar with… But back within SciLabs, a terrible thing had happened."

"Alpha…" The doctor had paused, almost dramatically as he looked at Rockman directly, before he continued. "It had gained sentience."

"...Huh?" Rockman blinked. He was confused. "B-but Alpha was a network, wasn't it? How did it gain sentience?"

"No one really knows, even to this day." The doctor sighed, shaking his head. "Perhaps it had been the number of errors in its coding, or the sheer amount of bugs it had in it… But somehow, it had realized what it was, that it was a failed attempt at creating a network society and…" Cossack trailed off, shivering at the thought of what had happened. "...And, perhaps because it was enraged that it had been shelved and forgotten… It began trying to attack and absorb SciLab's computer systems into itself."

Rockman only stared at the man, stunned silent by this revelation, before the Navi realized something. "S-so, when Forte was blamed for destroying SciLab's system, it was actually…?"

"...Forte's independent thinking had already proven to be a problem and a reason for concern among many of the scientists." Cossack confirmed Rockman's suspicions. "He was a convenient scapegoat for the SciLab systems suddenly falling apart."

"..."

The blue Navi looked away, unsure of what to think. After Forte had escaped- well, let free- from his enclosure within one of the SciLab's computer systems, Rockman had followed after him with the intent of making sure nothing could go terribly wrong, and the two Navies had indeed stumbled across the damage that was spreading across SciLab's cyber world. But back then, he did know who or what had caused the damage- He'd only know that Forte had later been blamed for it.

Perhaps that was why the group of security Navies had suddenly retreated. They must have realized that Forte wasn't the cause of the damage, and that it had been the original network, Alpha, instead. It would be strangely convenient and lucky for them, had that been the case- Rockman wasn't sure how the fight would have turned out if the Navies had insisted on continuing the battle.

"...What happened with Alpha after that?" Rockman said, softly. Surely, something was done about it. If it had indeed gained sentience and it was angry that it had been replaced by another network, it wouldn't have stopped at just destroying SciLabs, would it?

"It all came down to Alpha's original creator- Tadashi Hikari." Cossack began.

"H-Hikari?" Rockman couldn't quite stop himself.

"Just as Alpha had been about to escape SciLabs and find its way into the local network, Tadashi Hikari came up with a plan." The man seemed to have mistaken the reason behind Rockman's shock, and continued his explanation on what had occured. "He created a programme to seal Alpha within, then created the Tetra Codes that acted as keys that would keep it locked, preventing Alpha from ever surfacing again."

"The programme has worked as intended for over a decade now." Doctor Cossack tapped his chin thoughtfully. "But with you bringing up the matter about Tetra Codes… I fear that is about to change, isn't it?"

"I…" Rockman didn't know what to say. There was so many things going through his mind all at once.

He had already assumed that the Tetra Codes were of some sort of importance. What he hadn't realized was that it were literally the keys that prevented some sort of angry, sentient network from escaping into the cyberworld and destroying network society in its entirety. While Rockman had no idea where and why the Tetra Codes ended up being hidden in all sorts of locations, he highly doubted that the NetNavies currently hunting the codes down were doing it for safe-keeping.

Secondly, was how intertwined all this was related to Forte. While Alpha had been the one to cause havoc within SciLab computers, Forte had ended up being the one blamed for the whole incident before it was revealed otherwise. The blue Navi wasn't sure what this connection would mean, or what it would imply, but he refused to think that it was merely a coincidence that the dark Navi just happened to go rogue just as a group of questionable NetNavies were rounding up the Tetra Codes. He didn't know what the connection was, but Rockman knew it had to have something to do with Forte's reason for disappearing completely. He just had to figure out what it was.

Though… The thing that had to be most shocking to Rockman was that Tadashi Hikari… Netto's granfather… had been the original creator of Alpha. Rockman never knew much about Netto's grandfather, but what he could tell, the man had been one of, if not the most, successful scientist contributing in the world's technological advancements.

And now that he knew that Tadashi Hikari, Alpha, and Forte were all connected… Perhaps there had already been more connections between him and Forte that he hadn't realized, even if his past timeline.

...But, that brought about another question- Why hadn't this happened in his original timeline? Aside from his interruption with Forte's fight with the security Navies, Rockman assumed that the situation had probably remained relatively the same. Meaning that the Tadashi Hikari from his timeline had also created Alpha, which was what had led to the Forte from his timeline to become the way that he had.

So… Why had Alpha remained sealed away, relatively undisturbed in his past timeline? What did he do that had changed events so that the threat of Alpha became a real one in this timeline…?

One thing was certain, though- Rockman was going to figure this all out. He was going to figure out the motivation behind Forte's disappearance, and he was going to stop Alpha's reawakening. He'd make sure of it.

* * *

"Okay, okay- So let me get this straight…" Zero rubbed his forehead. The Navi actually had a headache after listening to the Blue Myth explain everything from the Black Shadow's past, to how the prototype of the internet had gotten a mind of its own, and how the Tetra Codes were the key to freeing this "Alpha" beast into the internet. "So what's basically happening, is that the Tetra Codes are the keys to reawakening this "Alpha" beast, which is the prototype cyberworld created by Hub and Netto's grandfather, and if these Navies manage to gather all of the Tetra Codes, network society as we know it is basically doomed. All the while, the Black Shadow is somehow connected to all of this."

"He's not just somehow connected." Mega frowned. "He's actually collecting the Tetra Codes himself."

"What?" It was X's turn to be confused. "W-why? And how do you know that?"

"It's because of Gospel." Mega turned to him, pausing briefly, as if attempting to formulate her explanation before continuing. "You probably don't know this… But when Gospel was originally destroyed, Forte… The Black Shadow, het got ahold of the remnants of Gospel." The Blue Myth looked away, biting her lips. "...S-so… Gospel basically works for him now."

"Do you think it could be revenge?" Zero crossed his arms, wondering out loud. The Blue Myth visibly paused.

"Revenge?"

"I mean… You said that the Black Shadow basically became the way he is because of this Alpha beast." Zero rubbed his chin in thought. "Do you think he knows? And that he's collecting the Tetra Codes so that he can get to Alpha and take his revenge?" It might have been a bit of a stretch, but the Black Shadow wasn't known for his morales.

"...I never thought about it like that…" They heard Mega whisper softly to herself.

"So what now?" X asked. He didn't like the idea that the awakening of some sort of monster would mean the destruction of the cyberworld. "There has to be something we can do, right?"

"No. There's something  _I_  can do, and I'm going to do it." Mega clarified, her look sharp and determined. "...I appreciate the offer, X, I really do. But like I said, I don't want either of you to get involved. Now that you know what's happening, you know how dangerous this all is…" She looked directly at X when she said this. "...Please don't get into trouble. I don't want either of you… or your operators… to get hurt."

With that, the Blue Myth quickly walked ahead of them, before turning back. "I'll stop the Alpha beast from awakening myself. I won't let the cyberworld, or network society be destroyed, and I'll figure out just what the Black Shadow is up to." With that, Mega had disappeared, logging out from this area of the network.

"...So… What do you think about this?" Zero asked his companion. While the Blue Myth had undoubtedly answered many of their questions this time around, she had also left them with a lot of questions, all regarding the future, and any future actions they should take.

"...I'm honestly not sure myself." X shook his head as he said. "I like to believe she knows what she's doing… But I'm still worried." X frowned at this. "She definitely knows alot more than we do… But even so, there's no way anyone can know everything."

"I think she's overly optimistic about us not getting involved." Zero spoke out loud. Seeing X's confused expression, the Navi continued. "I don't know why she doesn't want us to get involved with this whole Alpha business, but she doesn't seem to realize we're already mixed up in all of this. Whether she likes it or not." The red Navi shrugged. "We've already been involved when two of the Tetra Codes were taken. Chances are, we'll be running into the other Tetra Codes, sooner or later."

X allowed himself to thinking about what Zero had just said, before he nodded softly. He could see the logic in Zero reasoning. "What do you suppose we should do, then?"

"...I don't know." The red Navi admitted. "But whatever happens, we'll face it- Together."


	151. Extra 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: And extra chapter with Shadowman and Swallowman. This extra chapter takes place directly after chapter 111 and before chapter chapter 113. This is a bit of a shorter chapter, since tomorrow is a school day for me and I wanted to make sure I get enough rest for tomorrow, but hope you guys enjoy this regardless.

Swallowman was a bit of a weird case.

...Well, perhaps not as weird as he was infuriating, and Shadowman definitely found the bird Navi infuriating. If asked, the shadow Navi would probably deny that the majority of his grife with Swallowman had originated from the other Navi's ability to completely circumvent his own to senses to register energy signatures. To add insult to injury, Swallowman didn't even seem to realize this himself- Or if he did, the bird Navi clearly didn't think it was anything worth talking about.

Yes, he realized he was being petty, and yes, it basically amounted to him practically holding a grudge, and no, he didn't want to acknowledge it.

The way things stand now, Shadowman had to to revert back from using his extra-sensory abilities to a set of more traditional senses- Hearing, sight, and sometimes scent- to prevent himself from being snuck up on by the bird Navi again.

Much like he was doing now.

"Sooo…" He heard it before he saw it, the slight flap of a pair of wings as Swallowman glided down behind him. "Any idea what we're even supposed to be looking for?"

"...No." Shadowman turned to the bird Navi, not even bothering to hide just how annoyed he was with him. "Now keep looking."

"Hggggnnnnn…" Putting both his hands over his head, Swallowman stretched and yawned. "But we've been searching the place for… What, four hours now?" He then sighed, flopping his arms back down carelessly. "Can't we at least take a break or something?"

"If you do not wish to partake, then you are more than welcomed to leave." Shadowman snorted. The Shadow Navi actually hoped that he would leave- The bird Navi had no business being here in the first place, and his presence would only distract him from his search.

From what he could tell, Swallowman only did things if it benefited him. That was why the bird Navi had been an Undernet mercenary prior to doing a one-eighty career change to annoying him instead. Swallowman got money in exchange for his services. That was simple enough to understand. In fact, Shadowman might have been more inclined to trust him, if Swallowman's sudden "loyalty" to the Blue Myth had been because he desired a pact with him. Power in exchange for his loyalty, simple enough. But as it turned out, that wasn't the case.

Even if his Mistress hadn't, Shadowman had grilled Swallowman relentlessly about his motivations just as the bird Navi began showing his interest in sticking around, even playing the part of a pseudo-subservient of the Blue Myth. That conversation hadn't yielded much result- at least, not the result Shadowman had wanted. The sum of Swallowman's answers basically amounted to "I don't know" and "I guess I just felt like it".

So… In his eyes, Swallowman was something that couldn't be accounted for- The bird Navi was unhienged, wasn't bound by any sort of pact. If the other wanted, he could turn around and stab him right in the back as he'd done so during their first encounter. The fact that Shadowman couldn't read Swallowman's energy signature- even as he saw the bird Navi standing right there in front of him- only made him that much more weary of the other's presence.

"Come to think of it, you don't really talk much, do you?" Swallowman squinted, perhaps in thought and recollection. "You just kind of, stand around and look at people. You don't talk, or say much. You're just… there." The bird Navi then shivered. "It's kind of creepy. Don't you have any thoughts of your own?"

"Having 'thoughts' does not necessarily mean one has the need to vocalize it." Shadowman narrowed his eyes. "Two things that you clearly have trouble differentiating."

"...Was just tryin' to be friendly, geez." Swallowman pouted, his wings fluttering briefly as he was insulted. "If we're going to be working together, then there's no harm in getting to know each other better- I've even told you all about what I did before I got into the whole mercenary business!"

Shadowman would argue that 'told you about' was not the right choice of words for Swallowman to use. The shadow Navi had practically been forced to listen to Swallowman ramble on and on about his past endeavours with finding a mate in the Undernet- The bird Navi had even called this his 'Love Quest'- when Shadowman was physically unable to walk away as he had been scouting out a potential area with useful information. And despite his best efforts to tune Swallowman out, Shadowman ended up knowing that one of Swallowman's more devastating pursuits had ended up with a pickaxe up his…

"Come to think of it, what were  _you_  doing before you became subservient to the Blue Myth?" Swallowman appeared genuinely curious. "...You're not trying to hide some sort of dirty, scandalous secret by putting on that serious, no-bullshit attitude of yours, are you?"

"I do not owe anyone an explanation. Much less you." Despite everything he did revolved around him being steady and patient, Shadowman found them quickly waning as Swallowman continued to push him. It had to be intentional. No one was so dense as to be completely unable to tell that the shadow Navi had no interesting in speaking whatsoever.

"You are!" Swallowman gasped, covering his chest in mock-shock. "It's okay- It's natural for people to deflect or avoid answering questions when they feel like they're being personally attacked!"

"?!" The sudden jump in logic had left him baffled, and it was quickly clear that Swallowman wasn't even remotely done talking.

"Lemme think… Uh, what would someone who's all work and no play would be hiding…?" Swallowman began tapping one of his feet lightly. "Ahdahdahdahda… You… you, you…" The bird Navi snapped his fingers repeatedly as he mumbled incoherent gibberish. "You- You became subservience to the Blue Myth because you like-liked her- Is that it?"

It was then that Shadowman decided that he didn't have the time or patience to deal with the bird Navi's antics. He turned and began walking away. He didn't know if he could maintain enough self-control to not punch Swallowman directly in the face otherwise.

"There's no shame in love!" Swallowman was yelling after him. "I mean- It's kinda weird, yeah! You being her subservient and all- But if you feel it's true in your core programming, just know you have my full support!"

"For the love of- Can't you  _just shut up for once?!_ " Shadowman yelled back before he could stop himself. Ignoring Swallowman's sudden blank look, Shadowman quickly regained his composure, leaving swiftly before the other Navi had a chance to say anything else.

* * *

Swallowman watched as the other Navi disappeared off into the distance. He  _would_  follow, but past experience told him that the shadow Navi might actually begin to threaten him with bodily harm if he did so.

Crossing his arms, Swallowman grinned to himself. He hadn't really meant to, not originally, but somehow, poking fun at the other Navi and trying to get a reaction out of him was quickly becoming one of his favourite past times. It had been a quite a long time since Swallowman would even consider having something that he could call a friend to banter with, even if Shadowman didn't really seem interested in talking much. But that was alright. Swallowman was more than happy to do the talking for the both of them.

"Hm." Swallowman stretched once more, his wings flexing. "I could get used to this."

Now… what was he supposed to be looking for again…?


	152. Chapter 131 (Survival Battle)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay so I nearly didn't write this chapter but I was like "No I gotta get this done I can't just ditch on this just 'cause I started school" so here you go. Sorry that this is also a bit of a shorter chapter, but I'm still getting used to working around a schedule now that school has officially started for me. Again, thanks for sticking with the story, everyone.

" _The competition within the N1 Grand Prix has been brutal! Despite the many challengers, only the best can rise to the top! And now, things are about to heat up even more, with the next challenge being a battle of endurance; The remaining competitors will be split up into groups of twenty, and all will be placed within an enclosed arena, where they shall battle against endless waves of viruses until only one remains! What sorts of strategies will our brave challengers come up with? Will there be alliances, or possible intrigue in order to outlast the other competitors and come out as the sole survivor?"_

" _Remember- This episode will be aired live, straight from the arena to your home! Ticket seats for the live audience are also available for sale on the N1 Grand Prix's official website- Though with the sheer amount of anticipation and support for the coming survival battle, the tickets aren't expected to last, so get yours right now!"_

"Huh." Netto was mildly surprised when the groups for the survival battle were announced. "Nii-san, look. It seems we won't be in the same team."

Hub nodded. "I don't suppose we are."

"Man, that's a bummer." Netto sighed, cupping his cheeks. "I was kind of looking forward to it- We'd completely sweep the rest of the competition if we'd been in the same group!"

"Netto-kun, there can only be one final winner in each group." Hub shook his head, slightly amused at his younger sibling's optimistic thinking. "Had we been in the same team, even if we were the only ones left, we would then had to find some way to outlast each other." The elder of the two smiled. "Perhaps it's for the best that we got split up- Come to think of it, it might be intentional, as well."

"Eh?" Netto tilted his head and blinked. "Why do you think it might have been intentional?"

"It's just a guess." Hub shrugged casually. "But like I said before. This Sunayama guy, if anyone has the ability to draw a crowd, it's him. If we're going to be facing each other, I suspect it might be someplace more flashy, like the semi-finals, or something."

"Oh…" Netto squinted as he thought about it. "I didn't realize that! But you're right." Then, the younger of the two grinned mischievously. "But don't think I'll go easy on you when he do Net Battle each other! I'll beat you, fair and square!"

Hub wasn't phased by that. He wouldn't want his younger sibling to hold back during such an important tournament just because he happened to be Hub happened to be his elder brother. "Likewise."

"It's good that we won't be opponents in the next elimination match!" From the PET charger on the table, X spoke up as well. "To be honest, I wouldn't have known what to do if I have to face Zero during a Net Battle!"

"Hm. I suppose I'll also have trouble raising a weapon against you." Zero chuckled briefly. "With that being said, however, this situation seems to have given us an unforeseen benefit."

"Oh?" X looked curious. "And what is that?"

"It's it obvious?" Zero grinned. "We get to discuss tactics without worrying about potentially sabotaging ourselves."

"Ah! That reminds me!" Netto turned to his elder sibling. "Nii-san, what are these… endurance, or survival battles, anyways? And how are they different from normal Net Battles?"

"Well, I haven't participated in any survival battles before, but from reading the rules and winning conditions of these endurance battles, the main thing that separates them from normal Net Battles is that controlling your use of Battle Chips is more important than ever."

"Controlling the use of Battle Chips? Don't we already do that during normal Net Battles?" Netto scratched his head.

"No, no, that's not what I meant…" Hub frowned for a moment, coming up with a different way to word his explanation before he continued. "I mean, you have to control  _when_  to use your Battle Chips."

"Oh, I see!" X appeared to have caught on to what Hub was implying. "You can't just use all of your Battle Chips at once!"

"That's right." Zero nodded. "Most Battle Chips can only be used in Net Battles once, before they have to be put into a chip recharger to restore their use. In an ordinary Net Battle, you can burn through all of your Battle Chips without any consequences as long as your attacks connect, as the goal is to deal enough damage to your opponent so they are forced to log out."

"...Ah! If you use all of your chips in the beginning of a survival battle, then you won't have enough to outlast everyone else!" Netto snapped his fingers. The boy seemed genuinely proud of himself for having figured it out.

"I would have suggested the use of recovery chips, but it seems the tournament organizers have already thought about that." Hub pouted. "The use of recovery chips during the survival matches are banned- They probably didn't want anyone stalling out the match by using recovery chips repeatedly."

"Hm… So we gotta really watch out for attacks and avoid taking damage at all costs." Netto crossed his arms. "Are those really the two strategies that's best for winning this match?"

The room was quiet for a moment, before Hub began to ponder out loud. "Well… There  _is_  another way…"

"...?" While Netto wasn't sure what his elder brother had come up with, the boy did catch on to Hub's sudden change in tone. "Wh… what is it? Is it bad…?"

"Well…" Hub lowered his voice, almost mysteriously. "If you wanted to… You  _could_  always attack the other contestants…"

"Wh- _What?!_ " Netto leaned back, his shock completely visible. "Why would I- Why would anyone do  _that_?"

"Think about it. While it might seem the waves of viruses are your opponents here, you real enemies are the other contestants in the arena with you." Hub explained. "In fact, the rules only state that you have to be the only one standing for you to advance into the next round- But they never said  _how_  you're supposed to do so. You can try your best to avoid the attack from the viruses and hope everyone else tires out before you, but you can also…"

"No! Forget about it!" Netto didn't even bother letting his elder sibling finish. "There's no way I'll be doing that! If I'm going to win, I'm going to win fair and square! Not by using some dirty trick and attacking people behind their back when they aren't looking!"

Hub merely sighed. "I know you'd never do that. But you can't say that for the rest of the competitors, and if we're able to come up with something like this, you can bet that someone else is bound to think of it as well."

"Then let them!" Netto huffed. "They can try whatever they want, but I'll still win by my own ways!"

"I know. Just be careful of anyone trying anything fishy in the arena during the survival battle, okay?" Hub smiled. "As long as we can managed all of that, then we'll be able to come out of this, no problem."

"Right!"


	153. Chapter 132

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The club that we're sharing the society room with got into trouble because someone was using one of those coins you use for tabletop games that came from them to force the door open for people who aren't supposed to have access into the society room. TBH I was one of those people who really didn't liked it when random people just came into the society room because when they do the room gets 9000 times noisier, and they aren't supposed to be there in the first place. I don't know why I'm rambling about this. I guess I'm just annoyed.

"OH BOY OH BOY OH BOY!" X and Zero recognized A_J01'a voice before they heard it. "FINALLY! YOU'RE BOTH HERE!"

"Hey." X greeted as he watched the programme jump up and down. The blue Navi still felt slightly awkward, seeing as how the last time they'd met the programme, a really embarrassing episode of him on the N2 got released, even though X knew that it technically wasn't the programme's fault and it was really doing what it was told to by the producers of the show. Stil…

"EEEE! OKAY, OKAY…" A_J01 took a deep breathe, calming itself. "S-SO! WELCOME TO THE N2'S SURVIVAL BATTLE DOME! HOW DO YOU LIKE IT?" It began its opening dialogue.

"It's large." Zero wasn't sure of what else to say- they hadn't actually been inside of any of the battle arenas yet, though he supposed that part made sense. The organizers wouldn't want to spoil anything and ruin the surprise before any of the elimination matches had even begun. "I noticed that this battle dome seemed to be a lot bigger than the last one…"

"THAT'S BECAUSE WE HAVE A MULTITUDE OF DIFFERENT ARENAS, EACH WITH A DIFFERENT THEME TO KEEP ALL THE COMPETITORS ON THEIR TOES!" AJ_01 explained cheerily. "WE EVEN PROGRAMME A DIFFERENT COMBAT ENVIRONMENT AND THEMES FOR EACH GROUP OF COMPETITORS! AND SINCE THERE'S, UH… ABOUT FIFTY GROUPS…" The programme paused briefly, doing the calculations in its head. "...THAT MEANS THERE'S AT LEAST FIFTY DIFFERENT THEMES!"

"F-fifty different themes?" X was shocked, both by the sheer dedication of the organizers to actually create so many different arenas just for the survival battles, but also by the amount of participants in the N2 left. If all remaining Navies were split into groups of twenty, and there were fifty groups currently in the endurance battles…

"Only fifty Navies out of a thousand will be left after this round?" Zero was just as surprised by this revelation. Over half of them were going to be cut, and they weren't even anywhere near the semi-finals yet!

"DON'T WORRY- I'M SURE THE BOTH OF YOU WILL ADVANCE TO THE NEXT ROUND, NO PROBLEMS!" A_J01 told them, its head appendages flapping up and down as it did so. "...IN FACT, I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO TELL YOU, BUT ONCE YOU MAKE IT PAST THIS ELIMINATION ROUND, WE'LL BE GETTING INTO ACTUAL NET BATTLES, AND EVEN TAG-TEAM BATTLES!"

X and Zero gave each other a quick glance. They were finally about to get into the actual tournament they signed up for!

"I guess that's one thing to look forward to." Zero's tone was leveled, but it wasn't difficult to tell that the red Navi was excited by this newfound knowledge.

"IF YOU'RE READY, PLEASE HEAD TOWARDS THE WAITING AREA. SINCE THIS ELIMINATION ROUND WILL BE AIRED LIVE, THE ENDURANCE BATTLES WILL BE HELD CHRONOLOGICALLY, ONE AFTER ANOTHER." A_J01 said. " JUST FOLLOW THIS PATH AND TAKE A RIGHT TURN. YOU SHOULD SEE THE WAITING AREA THERE. THERE'S ALSO A LARGE DISPLAY SCREEN WITHIN THE WAITING AREA ITSELF, SO YOU CAN ALSO SEE THE BATTLES PLAY OUT IN REAL TIME!"

"Oh?" X raised an eyebrow. "Is that okay? Wouldn't that give an idea for us on what to expect?"

"DON'T WORRY! LIKE I SAID, EACH ARENA IS DIFFERENT FROM THE LAST, SO IT'LL BE A COMPLETELY NEW EXPERIENCE FOR ALL OF OUR CONTESTANTS!" A_J01 reassured them. "THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE TUNING IN FOR THE LIVE BROADCAST IS THE HIGHEST IT'S EVER BEEN DURING THE N2, BUT I'M SURE THE TWO OF YOU WILL DO JUST FINE! REMEMBER, I'LL BE ROOTING FOR THE BOTH OF YOU!"

"Alright. Thankyou." X gave the programme a short nod, before he and Zero began heading towards where A_J01 had pointed them towards. "Say, do you think we'll be running into Roll, or anyone else in the waiting area?" Just like them, Roll was able to complete the task-based elimination round, and had advanced onto the endurance battles along with them.

"Probably." Zero shrugged. "Who knows- We might even run into Blues and Enzan."

"He's most likely in this endurance battle as well." There was no doubt in X mind that, with Blues' advanced abilities in Net Battling, the red Navi would be able to clear the rounds of preliminaries with ease. "I haven't read through the rest of the group lists, but there's no way he'd lose such early on. If the N2 is anything like the N1, he'd probably make it to the finals easily."

Zero hummed, nodding in agreement. "It'd be interesting to see his battle, if we can. Maybe we can see if he's improved since the last time you two fought."

As the two Navies rounded the corner, they quickly came to the place A_J01 had mentioned. The waiting area was just up ahead, with at least several dozen Navies gathered around a large display screen.

'" _After a long wait, the first round of the highly-anticipated endurance battles are about to begin!"_  The voice of a announcer was heard from the display screen.  _"Without further ado, let us invite the first group of competitors into the battle arena!"_

"X! Zero! You two've finally come!" A familiar voice called out. Looking towards the source, the two Navies saw Roll waving at them. "Over here!"

"Hey, Roll." X smiled as he and Zero made their way to where the pink Navi was standing. "Did you see any Navies other Navies in the endurance battles that we know?"

"Well, not in my own group, no." Roll's tone was thoughtful as the Navi attempted to recall what she'd read. "But… I do remember seeing Blues' name in one of the groups…"

"Really?" X's suspicions had been confirmed. "Which group was he in?"

"I don't remember specifically, but I think it's one near the end." The pink Navi then grinned and tilted her head playfully. "I'm actually up next, though!"

"You're in the group right after this one?" X gasped. He hadn't realized. "Man, I'm not up for at least several more rounds, and I'm already feeling the pressure!"

"I'm really nervous myself, and maybe a little bit scared." Roll admitted, clasping her hands together. "But… I'll still do my best and try to win this battle!"

"That's the spirit." Zero smiled. "Remember, the goal is to last as long as you can, so there's no shame in running and avoiding confrontations if you feel like you need a breather, okay?"

"...Alright!" Roll gave a firm nod after thinking over Zero's advice. The pink Naiv then grinned mysteriously, swaying to the side slightly before she continued. "This time, I'll make it to the semi-finals with the both of you, too!"


	154. Chapter 133

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Made a new friend on Monday, realized that we took the same classes for two other courses. Guess we'll be sitting and doing group projects together.

Despite this round of eliminations were called "endurance battles", the duration of these matches were noticeably varied, some predictably lasting for up to thirty minutes, but some being as quick as several moments, and it quickly became apparent that the arena itself had a huge part to play in the difference.

X, Zero and Roll had watched the first elimination match play out on the display screen. As soon as all the contestants had logged into the arena, the surrounding white-tiled panels began to change, re-shaping the surroundings, until it took the appearance of an erupting volcano, and fire-typed viruses leapt out from the molten lava, attacking them with orbs of fire instantly. That round of the survival Battles had been brutally quick, with several NetNavies already being forced to plug out to avoid deletion after they had been knocked back by the initial attack into the fiery pits surrounding the arena.

Roll's elimination match ended in a similar manner. She and nineteen other NetNavies were dropped into an arena filled to the brim with water, and their area of movement strictly confined to the several, small floating platforms within the environment. Fortunately, the pink Navi already had a plan in mind even before she knew what the theme of her endurance battle was. Realizing that she was a lot quicker and nimbler than a lot of the other contestants in the arena with her, Roll had played to her strengths. Instead of fighting the hoards of viruses, the pink Navi had focused on out-maneuvering her opponents, avoiding confrontations whenever she could help it. In the end, it had came down to a small amount of luck that had allowed Roll to come out as the sole survivor in her elimination round. Nearing the end, one of the few remaining NetNavies had caught onto what she was trying to do. Recognizing her as a potential threat, the Navi had begun to target her, actively trying to throw her off of the platform so that Roll would be forced to plug out.

Roll hadn't meant it when she leapt across the water onto another platform to avoid the other Navi's attacks, but when he had followed, a Bluegon virus just so happened to burst out from the waters, biting onto the Navi's legs and pulling him under. She hoped that the Navi had managed to plug out in time.

In contrast, Zero's match had dragged on for what seemed like forever. His group of competitors found themselves in a place resembling a mineshaft, with intricate tunnels and railways leading everywhere, and the Navies soon found themselves all lost within the huge mess which dubbed as a maze. Occasionally, two Navies would bump into each other, in which a fight would ensue, the two Navies attacking each other until one had sustained enough damage and was forced to plug out, but most of the times, Mettaurs and Ratty viruses would leap out from the dark corners of the tunnels, each encounter of having to fend off wild viruses served to shave off their strength slowly but surely. Nearly twenty minutes later, Zero came out victorious by pushing a minecart down into a group of unsuspecting Navies and viruses.

X's challenges in the endurance match, however, had less to do with his surroundings and the possible hazards littered all about the place, but more to do with the other NetNavies in the arena with him.

As X rounded the corner, he quickly leapt down onto the railways of the metro station, pressing his body against the wall to hide himself from view. Moments later, the sound of hurried footsteps was heard.

"Damnit! Where'd he go?"

"He couldn't have gotten away so quickly! He has to be around here somewhere!"

"Look around! If we can defeat the previous runner-up of the N1, we'd be famous for sure!"

"...It's not good…" X whispered once the voices had faded slightly. "They're still gunning for me…!"

"Those guys don't play fair, do they?" Netto agreed. It was getting both annoying and frustration- The boy knew that he and X would be able to take on one, maybe two of those group of Navies currently hunting them down, but to take on all of them at once…

"Let's Style Change!" Netto quickly came to a decision. "We can annihilate them all at once if we were in Ultimate Style!"

"I don't think that's a good idea." X said, his tone worried. "Remember what Hub said? We really shouldn't be bringing attention to that sort of power."

"What's the point of having a power if you can't use it?" Even though Netto remembered that conversation with his elder sibling and knew that Hub had valid points and only meant well by that, the boy still couldn't quite help but complain. "Ugh… If we can't use Style Change to defeat them, then we'll need some other way to take them out…"

"We could always use a Programme Advance." X suggested. "That could work."

"It could." Netto agreed. "But they'd need to be near the same area…" The boy trailed off then, his look confused, before asking. "X, is it just the PET, or is there some noises coming from where you are?"

"No, there is." X said, glancing upwards briefly. "I heard a train just pass by above me. I guess since this place is meant to be a metro station, there are different trains running on different levels…"

A thought struck both Navi and operator at once. Instantly, they gave each other a quick grin, a plan quickly formulating inside their minds. X leapt out from the tracks, counting the seconds in his head as he ran towards where he heard the group of Navies left to. "Hey!" He yelled once he'd found them no far off from where he'd been hiding. "I'm over here- Come get me!"

"Shit! He was behind us this entire time?!"

"I'm going to beat him before any of you!"

Once he was sure he'd gotten their attention, X turned and ran. He remembered where the sounds of the train had came from, and where it had faded to, and once the blue Navi had located the spot he believed to be correct, he stood his ground, waiting for the rest of the Navies to catch up.

"Ha! You're cornered!"

"Nowhere to run now!"

X didn't say a word. As he continued counting down the seconds in his head, the blue navi merely raised both his arms, aiming at the ceiling between him and the Navies who were quickly approaching.

"...Now!"

"Attack Battle Chip; Canon!" Netto was fully prepared. "Triple slot in!"

"Programme Advance!" In a bright flash of light, X's hands had formed into a giant cannon. "Zeta Canon!"

A single shot was enough to blow and large gagin hole in the ceiling of where he was aiming at, the group of Navies stopping in their tracks, startled and stunned by the destruction caused.

"...Are you blind?" One of the Navies from the back yelled out. "You were way off your shot-"

" _Look out!_ "

With a loud honk, the form of a large train suddenly emerged from the hole above them, the group of Net Navies realizing a bit too late that that was what X had intended before the train crashed into them full force, knocking them all out.

"...Phew." Forming the canon back into his hands, X wiped the bit of sweat from his forehead. "I guess that's all of them…" He couldn't help but feel slightly guilty about crashing an entire train down onto a group of unsuspecting Navies, even if they had originally been the aggressors.

"Right." Netto didn't seem to be as concerned as X was. "You know what that means, right?" Just as he said this, the voice of the announcer can be heard.

" _And the results are clear! The winner of this round of the endurance battles are Netto Hikari and his NetNavi, Rockman X!"_


	155. Chapter 134

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Is it just me or is the Alpha arc surprisingly long…? I've written around 30 chapters, and we're still only just nearing the halfway point… Is the plot kind of slow at the moment? I try to at least push the plot forward, or explain something related to the plot in every chapter, even though the chapters are so short. Please let me know.

"We'll all be moving onto the next round of elimination matches!" Roll was absolutely beaming. The pink Navi was glad that both her friends were able to pass the endurance battles, and even more so on the fact that they were all one step closer towards the semi-finals. "I'm so happy!"

"From what we've heard, the next several elimination matches might feature traditional Net Battles; with two Navies and operators battling against each other." Zero glanced at X as he said this. "It's possible that we might end up on opposite sides on the battlefield in the future."

"...It's not ideal." X caught onto Zero's implications rather easily. "But that doesn't mean I'll back down without a fight."

"Oh…" Roll's mood appeared to have changed from excited to worried instantly. The pink Navi probably hadn't thought that far ahead into the tournament yet. "Well… I don't really want to fight either of you, but I'll still do it, if we had to. I did say I'd make it to the semi-finals with you two this time." Then, she blushed, pouting slightly. "...Not that I think I'd stand much of a chance against either of you in a Net Battle…"

Afraid that they might have upset the pink Navi, X began scrambling for words, but Roll stopped him. "Heh! I was just joking- You don't have to go easy on me, just because I'm your friend, or because I'm a girl- I'd be really offended if you did that!" The pink Navi grinned, giggling slightly. "In fact, if you aren't careful, I might actually beat you!"

Zero let out a breathe he didn't realize he'd been holding, while X smiled back and joked. "Alright- Just don't go too hard on us, okay?"

With that, the three Navies finally arrived at the live audience. Zero and Roll had waited for X at the log out point of the arena before the group decided to head over to the live audience to watch the rest of the endurance battles. The live audience was basically made out of hundreds of NetNavis on several levels of platforms surrounding a large display screen. The crowds appeared to be cheering wildly, and it was quickly apparent why.

"Oh- The next round of endurance battle seemed to have started already!" Roll pointed out as she observed the live footage from the display screen.

"And look at that." Zero's tone was more matter-of-factly. "It's Blues."

Blues' arena resembled some sort of tower, with data cubes and blocks extending out form the main pillar, but the rest was just a direct drop into absolute nothingness. The viruses being released into the arena were all elec-typed, and several Cloudy viruses were already beginning to pour acid rain down from the sky onto the competing Net Navies below. Though, from what X can see from the footage, Blues appears to be dealing with the same problem that he had in his own elimination match.

"The others are all aiming for him, too." X frowned slightly. Though he understood the reasoning behind why the Navies were doing so, it didn't mean that he agreed with it. "They must have realized that Blues has the highest chances of winning out of all of them, and they have to get rid of him first before they can even have a chance of winning this match."

"I wouldn't worry too much about him if I were you." Zero just shrugged when X turned to him questioningly. "Look."

Focusing his attention back at the live footage from the display screen, X quickly found the red Navi's words to be true. Blues didn't appear fazed by the rest of the Navies ganging up on him. In fact, it seemed to have provided him with the perfect opportunity to defeat all of his competition at once, much like X had. With several swings of his sword, Blues had successfully disarmed and forced several Net Navies to plug out. The way he had made it appear effortless had caused some of the remaining Net Navies to forfeit outright, and the match was won just moments later, to the wild cheering of the crowd.

"I guess that means there's also a chance that we'll be facing him in the later battles, too." X mused as the announcer declared Blues as the winner of this endurance battle.

"Are you nervous?" Zero asked him, not as a challenge or a taunt, but more out of genuine curiosity. "How do you feel about battling someone who's beaten you before?"

"Of course I'm nervous- Heck, who wouldn't?" X laughed. Just the serious way of how Blues held himself was already enough to make many Navies afraid and weary of him. "But… It's not just nervousness. I'm excited for a potential re-match as well- I want to see how much the both of us has improved since the last time. Even if I don't win, it'll still be worthwhile, just to see how far we've come."

"Huh." It was clear that Zero didn't share the same thought as X had. "I thought you might have been more interested in settling the score with him."

"Well, it'd be nice to win." X chuckled. "But I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch. Who knows? Blues might have gotten some sort of new power since we saw him with the whole Gospel ordeal. We don't know yet. We'll just have to wait and see."

Before Zero could reply, however, a series of screams and shouts were heard from the live audience. Turning, both X and Zero were baffled to find the audience stands now filled with…

"...Bubbles…?" X blinked, still not quite believing what he was seeing. The sheer amount of bubbles and how they had just appeared seemingly out of nowhere had confused the blue Navi greatly.

"...X! ...Zero!"

"Roll?" Looking to where the voice had come from, the two of them found Roll encased within a large bubble, the pink Navi unable to break free despite banging her hands on it.

Sensing that something had gone wrong, X summoned his buster. "Roll- stand back!"

He fired multiple shots at the bubble. Roll had moved backwards, expecting the bubble to burst and wanted to avoid being caught in the energy projectiles when it did, but the shots just bounced off of the surface harmlessly. "Wh… What's this thing made of?"

"Roll, how did get trapped in there?" Zero asked her. Maybe they can find some way to free their friend if they knew how she'd gotten stuck in the first place.

"I… I don't know…" Roll's voice was heavily muffed as she spoke. "I was just standing slightly behind you two when it came down on me…!"

"Blub blub blub!" This was a new voice that came from a distance away, and both X and Zero looked to see who it was. "That seems to be the rest of them!"

"Hey!" Thought X didn't usually judge other NetNavies by their looks, this Navi's demeanor just seemed highly suspicious to him, given the situation. "Who're you?"


	156. Chapter 135 (Bubble trouble)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay, so I fell ill and it's Friday and I have homework and other clubs things to do. Let's do this.

"Blub blub blub!" The weird Navi was still laughing to himself, too induled in the deed he'd just committed to take note of the two other Navies behind him. "Now that all of Electopia's strongest Navies are trapped and immobilized, no one will be able to protect the cyberworld from attack!" The Navi then put his hands on his hips. "Ha! Chaos will ensue! Then, people with know to fear WWW!"

"What?" X gasped before he could stop himself.

"WWW?" Zero shared his exact sentiment. Was this NetNavi really claiming to be part of WWW? They've defeated and disbanded the organization before!

"Blub?!" Their combined outburst had finally snapped the strange Navi out of his own monologue. Clumsily, the Navi had turned to see who it was that had startled him, but his eyes turned wide upon recognizing the two red and blue Navies. "H-huh?! You two?! I could've sworn I've trapped everyone in bubbles here!"

Zero didn't have time to entertain the Navi's question. He needed to know if what the Navi had said had been true or not. "What do you mean the world will fear WWW? That organization's been long gone!" The red Navi said with narrowed eyes.

"Blub! Y-you, you…!" The Navi stomped with feet in rage. Zero's words must have angered him, somehow. "You might laugh now! But soon, when WWW rises once more, then…! Then, you'll be sorry! Blub!"

X blanched slightly. That was no joking matter. Having been involved with stopping WWW during their numerous terror attacks and during the End Game, he knew just how much havoc the organization can cause. He'd firmly believed that WWW had disbanded once they've stopped the End Game, but if the organization had truly just gone into hiding and was only now just beginning to resurface…

Forming his hand into a buster, X aimed it at the Navi. "You'll tell us all you know!" This was too important to be taking chances with!

"E-e-eh…!" All of the Navi's previous anger seemed to have vanished almost instantly upon having a weapon raised against him. He waved his hands frantically. "Y-you're not actually going to shoot me with that, are you? B-blub!"

"Not if you free everyone and tell us what you know about WWW!" Zero had summoned his weapon as well, raising his sword threateningly.

"B-blub…" The Navi took a step back, laughing nervously, before he spoke with uneasy confidence. "H-heh! Y...you two don't scare me!"

"Oh?" Zero raised an eyebrow. It wasn't difficult to tell that the Navi was lying. "You don't think that we'll beat you up?"

"W-w-well…" The Navi stammered, before pointing a finger at the two of them and declaring. "You two might be stronger than I am, but there's one thing you'll never beat me at!"

"?!" X tensed. Did this Navi had some sort of secrete power that they weren't aware of? "And what's that?"

"Heh! You'll see soon enough!" The Navi proclaimed, somewhat smugly. "It's because, I, Bubbleman-"

Then, in the blink of an eye, the Navi had disappeared from in front of them. Recovering from their surprise, it took the two Navies another look to realized the reason behind the Navi's sudden vanishing act- The Navi was fleeing, much faster than anyone they'd ever seen before.

"I'm the master of running awaaaay…!" They heard Bubbleman's fading voice as he disappeared off into the distance.

"Darn! He wasn't joking!" Netto seemed genuinely impressed by how quickly Bubbleman had fled. "He sure is good at running away!"

"That's not a thing to be proud of!" Hub reminded his younger sibling. "Zero! Check if there's some way to pop those bubbles!"

Nodding, Zero turned to where Roll was still trapped inside of her bubble. He attempted to bring his sword down onto it, but much like X's buster shots, the bubbled was miraculously immune to his attacks. "Shit!"

"Roll, can you plug out from there?" X asked her. Perhaps that would work?

"I tried that!" Roll actually sounded somewhat offended. "But it doesn't work- It stops me from plugging out, somehow…!"

"So everyone is really trapped here permanently…?" X didn't like the realization. He could just imagine the panic that would cause.

"We have to find that Navi… Bubbleman." Hub frowned. "He's the one who made these bubbles, right? If we can get ahold of him, we might be able to free everyone."

"But how?" Netto asked. "You saw how fast he ran, Nii-san! He could be  _anywhere_  in the net by now! How're we supposed to track him down?"

"Hey…!" Roll's voice had interrupted them, getting their attention. The pink Navi pointed from where she was trapped. "Look!"

Confused, X and Zero followed Roll's gaze, their bafflement quickly turning into realization.

"There's patches of bubbles on the floor…" X couldn't believe their luck. "He's left a trail for us to follow."

"Then there's no time to waste!" Netto's gaze was determined. They had to figure out this whole WWW resurfacing thing, and free everyone as soon as possible! "X, we gotta go after him now!"

"Right!" The blue Navi gave Roll a reassuring look. "You hang in there, Roll. We'll find this guy and free you soon enough!"

"...I don't really like this at all…" Roll said, obviously worried for her friends. "But I don't see any other way…" The pink Navi quickly shook her head, before meeting X's gaze directly, her look steady and trusting. "Don't worry about me. Go now- I'm counting on the both of you!"

* * *

"Blub… blub…" Bubbleman gasped, slowing down to a slight jog when the Navi decided that he'd put enough distance between him and the two red and blue Navies for them to be able to catch up with him. "Heh… Hah… No one's better than me at running away…"

He was just about to take his next step, before a shuriken had lodged itself on the floor directly in front of him. Bubbleman froze up in place instantly.

"...I've heard you know something about the remaining Tetra Codes." A voice spoke. Above him, Bubblean saw the dark form of another Navi with ominous green eyes and adorning a long red scarf.

"Blub?!"

Can't a WWW Navi catch a break around here?!

The Navi summoned another shuriken. "Tell me what you know about the Tetra Codes!"

Upon being threatened, Bubbleman did the only thing he was good at, and fled.


	157. Chapter 136

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay so apparently there was this news about a woman who brought her motorcycle onto the subway and when she was asked to leave by the staff she fell to her knees and began to beg the staff to let her go home. It got really weird because she began to call the staff "my lord" and "sir" and she nearly got to the station she wanted before staff managed to escort her of the train. Super weird.

"Blub… blub…" Bubbleman was bent over, gasping for his breath. "That should… should be enough… No one can… find me here…"

"Hey!" A voice had yelled out just then. "So that's where you are!"

The Navi winced. Damnit! He'd spoken too soon!

X and Zero wasted no time in catching up to him. "Free everyone from their bubbles at once!"

Bubbleman seemed to have realized he'd been backed up into a corner, but the Navi wasn't quite ready to give up just yet. "Blub…! Y-you two… You're so infuriatingly annoying!" The Navi summoned his weapon, something that looked like a cross between a rocket launcher and a water gun. "That does it! If I can't run, then I'll just have to fight! Take this!"

Pulling the trigger, a shot of bubbles were released and sped quickly towards the two other Navies, but Zero had been anticipating the attack. The red Navi slid and ducked under the bubbled, before dashing forward, rapidly closing the distance between him and his target. Several quick swings of his sword and Zero had successfully sliced Bubbleman's weapon into pieces, leaving the Navi defenceless.

"...Blub…!" The Navi was shaking in fright as Zero looked down at him. It was clear now why Bubbleman had ran like he did. The Navi was clearly not good at battling. "P-p-please don't delete me! I was wrong!" Bubblean fell to his knees and began begging for his life. "Please! Have mercy!"

"Release everyone from the bubbles this instant!" Zero insisted once more.

"Blub! Okay, okay! I will!" Bubbleman raised his hands slowly. "Just give me a moment! I'll just do this and…"

This time, Zero didn't notice the change in the other Navi's behavior. Using this to his advantage, Bubbleman formed his hand into a buster, firing it at Zero, catching the red Navi off guard. Bubbleman leapt away just as Zero was knocked back by his surprise attack.

"Ha! Got you good, didn't I!" Without waiting for either X or Zero to recover, Bubbleman turned and began to run. "I'll explode all the bubbles everyone's in! Then we'll see who'll be laughing-"

Before he could finish, another red blur had flashed before his eyes. Bubbleman blinked, beginning to wonder if he was seeing things, before realizing that his body had been sliced, clean in half.

"Blub! This can't be-"

Another vertical slice, and Bubbleman's core data had imploded from the extensive damage, any of the Navi's remaining data disappearing shortly afterwards.

"Well, you two surely hadn't gotten any brighter since the last time we met."

"Blues?!"

X and Zero blinked. Neither of them had said anything. The white haired Navi looked to where the unexpected voice had come from, his expression confused for only a slight moment. His lips had then pulled down into a scowl. "It's  _you_ …"

"Did you really just delete him?" Though none of them had seen the Blue Myth in her current form, all three of them could unanimously tell that it was her, if the Navi's voice and green eyes were anything to go by. "He was harmless, Blues!"

"He had trapped thousands of Net Navies in explosive bubbles and was just about to detonate them all." It was obvious that Blues found Mega's words incredulous. "Or was that something you would have wanted?"

His implication that the Blue Myth secretly craved disasters did not go unnoticed, and the accused Navi narrowed her eyes. "I would never want something like that. But he knew where the Tetra Codes were. I had to ask him."

"Wait- Bubbleman knew where the Tetra Codes were?" It was Zero this time. The newfound knowledge that the self-proclaimed WWW Navi was aware of the Tetra Codes and their locations brought up a suspicion that he couldn't help but voice out. "Does that mean WWW was the ones who had been hunting down the Tetra Codes all along?"

The two arguing Navies turned to him. "Hold on. Did you just say WWW?" Blues demanded with a sudden sense of urgency.

"Yeah?" Blues' tone had made Zero defensive. "What about it?"

Blues just hissed in response. "I knew it. Wily is still alive." His voice then turned accusing once more as he addressed the Blue Myth. "I don't suppose you had anything to do with it?"

" _Me?!_ " Mega had also raised her voice at this point. "What kind of thing is that to say? Do you think I  _asked_  for any of this? H-"

"Stop it!" X yelled as loudly as he could. "Everyone, just  _calm down_  for a moment! Can't you see we're just arguing among ourselves? Stop it!"

The blue Navi's sudden outburst worked, and all three of the other Navies fell into awkward silence as they regarded each other carefully.

"...Sorry." Mega was the first to speak up. "I didn't mean to yell."

"...Yeah, well." Zero was embarrassed to admit it, but he hadn't acted rationally, either. "I'm sorry, too."

"..." Blues merely snorted, though the rest of the Navies knew that was as close to an apology they could get out of him.

"Alright, let's just go through this. Slowly." X rubbed his temples. He didn't manage to catch a single thing through all of the screaming and yelling. He only wanted to straighten things out between them, and maybe clear up a few things in the process. "Mega. Were you after Bubbleman as well?"

"...Like I said." The Blue Myth looked away slightly. "He knew where the Tetra Codes were. I had to get ahold of him."

The white-haired Navi didn't show it outright, but X could sense Blues' bafflement. The Navi had no idea what Tetra Codes were. "I'll explain what the Tetra Codes are in a moment, but what was that about Wily being alive that you said?"

"...After the End Game, doctor Wily's body was never found." Blues said with a slight frown. "We'd assured that the doctor might have died in the explosion, but if what you said about that Navi being part of WWW is true…"

"Wh… what?" There was a slight quiver in her voice as Mega spoke. "Doctor Wily's still alive…?"

"If his body was never found after the End Game and he did survive the blast… And Bubbleman, that Navi who claimed to be a part of WWW just so happened to know what the Tetra Codes were and where they were located…" Zero looked at the Blue Myth. "Mega. How much are you willing to bet that the rest of the other Navies who knew about the Tetra Codes were also working for WWW?"

"..."

"...Mega?" X couldn't help but notice that the Navi was shaking. "Are… are you alright?"

"...I'm sorry." The Navi shook her head. "I have to think about this myself…"

Just like that, Mega had disappeared, logging out of the entire area before anyone could stop her.


	158. Chapter 137

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Group projects are just teachers bullying people who don't have friends. You cannot convince me otherwise.

Rockman allowed himself a brief moment of reminiscence as he sat, dangling his legs off the side of the pathway. This was an area that few frequented, as it was just in between the common net and the Undernet- Few surface Navies would pass by here, as the area itself didn't lead anywhere else in the common net, and they would be headed directly into the Undernet if they continued, and the opposite was true for Undernet Navies as was no reason for them to come here, unless they wanted a way into the surface net, which few Undernet Navies do.

The same hadn't been true for Rockman, however, even considering his previous timeline. The blue Navi was strangely familiar with this part of the net, as it was the place he would often visit when Netto was in school and doing some test that didn't require him to be present. Rockman wasn't nearly foolish or reckless enough to enter into the Undernet without his operator, but the pathway leading towards the entrance of the Undernet was still close enough to it to give him the sense of wonder and adventure of what might be lying just underneath the common net.

...That wasn't what he was sitting here for, though. Right now, he just wanted to be left alone with his thoughts. Sighing, the blue Navi placed his chin on his hands.

' _So that's why all of this is happening…'_

Doctor Wily was still alive. He survived the explosion from SciLabs. Rockman had been so blindsided by his own past experiences that the Navi had never once considered that the mad scientist might not have perished in the fire like he'd originally thought.

This had put a lot of things into perspective for Rockman. There was always the nagging question of why Alpha had never once made an appearance in his past timeline, why no one had ever heard of Alpha before, and how it was in this timeline that the threat of Alpha actually became a real one, despite the original network possibly already existing in his previous timeline.

It was because Wily survived- It had to be. Rockman knew that the man had been a scientist, most likely working at SciLabs before he had gone mad with anger and envy. If he had, then it wasn't difficult to imagine that the man might have known something about Alpha. Possibly what happened to it, and how it had been sealed within SciLabs.

And apparently, he did. When he had learnt from Shadowman that a Navi going by the name of Bubbleman may have knowledge on the whereabouts of the Tetra Codes, Rockman never once suspected that he would be a part of the WWW that doctor Wily was attempting to bring back. In his timeline, Bubbleman had been an abandoned NetNavi who had helped him locate where the Darkloids' hidden base in the Undernet. It was this knowledge that had led him to believe that it was likely that Bubbleman might be able to provide him with the same useful knowledge in this timeline as well.

Despite knowing that there were already some changes in this timeline that Rockman didn't think he had a hand in, such as Netto having a twin sibling named Hub and Serenade being the NetNavi of Mamoru instead of being the king of the Undernet, he still hadn't expected Bubbleman to turn out as a WWW Navi this time, and he certainly hadn't expected Blues to delete him like he had… If Bubbleman had become a WWW Navi in this timeline, then what about Aquaman? The two of them were both abandoned NetNavies. From his own knowledge, the two of them didn't have anyone else other than themselves to rely on to survive in the cyberworld.

God, he hoped that wasn't the case this time around. Rockman didn't know what he would do if he realized that he'd allowed the Navi that Aquaman had considered to be his brother be deleted, even if he hadn't meant to. He hoped that Aquaman, much like Serenade, at least had an operator in this timeline.

"...Mistress?"

Rockman was jerked out of his thoughts. He really shouldn't be, but the blue Navi found himself constantly surprised by how easily Shadowman managed to find him anywhere in the internet.

"...I'm sorry." Rockman said softly. "I just want to be left alone just now."

"..." Shadowman didn't move from his spot. "You have changed, Mistress."

Rockman looked up, confused. "What…?"

"You are being consumed by your mate's betrayal and Alpha's awakening." Shadowman elaborated. "You are not the Navi you used to be."

"..."

The blue Navi averted his gaze, embarrassed and somewhat ashamed. He knew that by insisting that he deal with Forte's disappearance and the original network himself, he was isolating him from everyone else- But what else was he supposed to do? He'd never faced anything like this before! He just didn't know what to do!

"Mistress." Shadowman had knelt down besides him, meeting his eye level. "Know that you shall always have my loyalty as a subservient… But I wish to tell you this as your companion."

Rockman paused, unsure of how to react. The blue Navi would never doubt Shadowman's loyalty, or the other Navi's concern for him, but he usually expressed this in ways other than verbally. To hear him actually say this out loud was a surprise to him, and Rockman hadn't seen it coming. "What is it?"

"I would never dare question your power, but your strength had never been from isolation." Shadowman began, his voice steady as always. "The source of your strength isn't just from your will to aid others, but also from the aid you receive from them in return."

"Your efforts in bringing down both WWW and Gospel are evident, and no one can deny that. But it had also been in part of your mate, hadn't it? Whether it was emotional or physical, you accepted his help, and your thrived because of it."

Rockman took a moment to ponder what Shadowman had just told him. The blue Navi had never thought about it before, but he never realized just how much help he had received from Forte, and that wasn't even taking his final encounter with Gospel into account! Even during WWW's initial uprising and during Gospel's numerous attacks on the internet, Forte had offered his help numerous times. The dark Navi was able to deduce both of the organization's plans even though Rockman already had some prior knowledge of it, and had provided Rockman with an alternative when dealing with the Dream Virus' Life Aura. Now that he actually thought about it, Rockman realized just how much he also relied on the other Navi for emotional support during the entire ordeal with Gospel.

"Please, do not distant yourself from those who wish to help you." Shadowman met his gaze as he said this. "I know the disappearance of your mate has affected you greatly, but there are others who are willing to offer you their strength in his absence. There is no reason for you to fight this battle alone."

Rockman was left in stunned silence after the shadow Navi's speech. Shadowman had never really been one for words, but what he did say had been undoubtedly true- Rockman just hadn't realized it.

"...You're right." The worry and unease for future events was still there, but there was also a strange feeling of relief and slight confidence that Rockman hadn't experienced in quite a while. "I… I guess I must have forgotten, somehow." He gave the other Navi a small smile. "Thanks for reminding me, Shadowman."

"There is no need to thank me, Mistress." Shadowman replied. To him, the shadow Navi must believe he was merely doing what he had to.

"I'll admit that, there's still a lot of things I don't know of, and that I'm still not certain about…" Rockman slowly stood back up. "But at least there's one thing I'm certain of now."


	159. Chapter 138

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This chapter is kind of interesting to write, because of how similar it is to what my friend experienced today. Apparently, his family had a group chat, and his Mom did something dumb and had to apologize in group chat. Wanting to downplay/resolve the situation quickly, he said in chat "It's alright. We all make mistakes. No one would blame you". Instead of feeling better, his mom lost her shit and began accusing him that he probably thought that she was in the wrong on this issue as well, which was why he said she "made a mistake". Can someone explain the mental gymnastics one would have to go through to come to this conclusion. Please, someone tell me.

Shortly after the Blue Myth had vanished from their sight, Blues had grilled them relentlessly on what the Tetra Codes are. Apparently, there was always the suspicion that doctor Wily had survived the explosion from SciLabs and gone into hiding, waiting for his opportune moment to strike again. The proof that there were now a new group of WWW Navies running around the net was the proof that the Net Police Officer needed to confirm this suspicion, which was why the red Navi had insisted X and Zero tell them what they knew about the Tetra Codes- To try and figure out what the mad scientist was planning, and to put a stop to him before he can do something just as crazy as trying to crash entire satellites into major cities all over the world like last time.

X understood Blues' concern. He really did. The blue Navi had no interest in allowing doctor Wily- or any other mad scientist, for that matter- to endanger both the real world and the cyber world once more, but he could really do without Blues' attitude. The red Navi seemed convinced that there was something that both X and Zero had refrained from telling him, even though their knowledge on the Tetra Codes were still extremely limited.

But he accepted this as inevitable. It was probably in Blues' job description somewhere that the red Navi had to be as suspicious as possible in order to get the most information out of potential suspects or witnesses as he could, and when Blues had finally left the both of them alone, X had thought that the most of their worries had been over. At least, for now.

He was wrong. He was so wrong.

"So… When were you planning on telling me that you've gotten yourselves involved in something like this?"

Netto and Hub winced unanimously. The disappointment and hurt in Maylu's voice was too apparent to even ignore.

"It's not really that big of a deal, Maylu…" Netto attempted to downplay the situation. "It's… It's just…"

"Just what, Netto-kun?!" Maylu was completely done with him. "You promised you'd tell me if you were ever involved in something dangerous! Does being involved with a monster that can potentially destroy the net not sound dangerous enough for you?"

"..."

Hub sighed, clutching his head. Neither he or Netto had realized that Roll had looked for their NetNavies shortly after the bubbles had bursted when Blues had deleted Bubbleman to make sure that they were alright. It took a while for Roll to find X and Zero, but when she had, Blues just so happened to be questioning them about the matters with Alpha and the Tetra Codes. The Navi ended up knowing the full extend of the trouble they were in, and now, the two Hikari twins were having a rather one-sided conversation with Roll's upset operator over a video conversation.

"I can't believe you two!" Maylu said, her voice shaking. The girl looked as if she was about to cry. "I know I'm not much help in Net Battles, but I still want to care about you two! What if you two got hurt and I didn't know about it? How do you think I'd feel?"

"Maylu, it's alright." Hub tried to calm her. "Nothing's going to happen to us. We'll take care of ourselves. We promise."

That, apparently, hadn't been the answer Maylu wanted to hear. The girl frowned. "...I see. You think I'm a burden, don't you?"

"What?!" It was Netto's turn to act astonished. "How- We never said  _anything_  even like that!"

"Didn't you?" Maylu seemed to have already made up her mind on this issue, regardless of what the two twins were saying. "That's why you don't want to tell my anything- You think I'm no help, and that I'd only get in your way!"

"That's not true at all!" Netto wanted to pull his hair out. Why did it seem like Maylu was deliberately ignoring anything the two of the were saying?!

"If that's what you think, then fine!" Maylu was yelling at this point. The girl was visibly angry at whatever conclusion she'd come to in her mind. "I'll prove that I'm not worthless! I'll face the both of you in the N2, and I'll beat you both- I won't hesitate! You'd better watch out- I'll show the both of you just what I'm really capable of!"

"Maylu!" Netto panicked, not fully comprehending how the situation had suddenly escalated and gotten so out of hand. He wanted to explain to the girl that he'd never mean whatever she thought he'd meant, but Maylu had already cut the video call, the screen going dark in an instant. "Damn it! What the heck? If you're going to yell at me then at least let me explain myself!"

"...I don't think she wants to hear anything from us right now." Hub spoke up, stopping his younger sibling when he saw that Netto was attempting to re-establish the connection. "Just leave her alone for now. I don't think anything we say can change her mind at the moment."

"Fine… Ugh!" Netto banged his head onto his desk. "But it's just so… so… so infuriating! It's like she didn't even listen to a single word we said!"

"You can't blame her completely- She's probably only acting this way because she cares about us." Hub sighed. "Maybe we can try to talk things out with her once some time has passed."

"Yeah, well." Netto didn't seem convinced. "Good luck with that. We'd probably end up facing her in the N2 before she'd listen to us. She'd probably get even angrier, too, whether we end up winning or losing against her." The younger of the two then let out an exaggerated sigh. "There's no hope, Nii-san. There's no way we're winning this one."

"This isn't a Net Battle, Netto-kun. It's not about winning." Hub patted his younger sibling on his head. "Look. We're all too upset and angry about this to think clearly. We probably won't come to any meaningful conclusion even if we were to continue this conversation. We should wait until we're calmer before doing anything else. For now, let's just focus on the next round in the N2…"


	160. Extra 9 (H)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: My art haul just came in the mail today! I got new merch for my artist alley event in December boiyos. Also, this chapter is one that I've wanted to write for a while but in the end have no idea how to fit into the context of the main story, so just assume that this extra happens anywhere in the story when there is downtime between story beats. Yes, I just wanted to write porn, but a part of me also feels bad that the last chapter where we had porn was like… 15 chapters ago, and we probably won't be getting any more porn within the main story for quite a while. Sorry guys.

"H-hn… N-nahhhh…"

Rockman whimpered, his entire body quivering. The blue Navi's face was bright red as he reached a hand down, hesitating for a moment before he dipped his fingers into his own slit. He'd never once done anything remotely close to pleasuring himself before, and Rockman inhaled sharply at the strange feeling.

...Not that he was considering something remotely similar to that. It had been one of the more dull days for him, when nothing was happening, and there wasn't much of anything that needed his attention. It had been an opportune moment for Forte to ask for sex… of which he may or may not have been anticipating.

Any struggle he put up was laughable, at best. The blue Navi had practically allowed Forte to push him down onto their shared sleep cycle station, ripping his skinsuit off as he bit down on the blue Navi's neck. It hadn't been anything out of the ordinary, so Rockman was startled, jumping and yelping out loud when the other Navi had stuck his fingers into him, pushing some sort of circular object into him, the thing quickly getting lodged inside of him.

"F-Forte!" Rockman turned back the best he could, confused and alarmed. "Wha-"

"Shh." The other Navi placed a hand on the back of his neck, pushing him gently but firmly back down to lay on the sleep cycle station. "Stay." Forte said against his ear.

That got the blue Navi to still instantly. Perhaps it was the way that the dark Navi had said it, or the context of what they were doing, but Rockman couldn't find either the will or desire in him to disobey, and he continued to lay there with growing confusion as Forte slowly withdrew himself and left.

Rockman waited. He was growing concerned, and slightly suspicious. He knew that Forte had a tendency to both tease and torment him during their connection whenever the Navi was given an opportunity to, and although Rockman wasn't sure how that related to his dominant leaving so abruptly, the blue Navi didn't feel brave enough to find out.

...The way that… that  _ring_  was lodged inside of him, awkwardly forcing some part of him open was getting rather uncomfortable, though. And Forte never mentioned anything about that…

So here he was, trying to get whatever thing that was stuck inside of him out with his fingers. Taking a moment to steady himself, Rockman inched his fingers deeper, the tip of one of his fingers finally touching the side of the circular object. Curling his fingers and whimpering slightly at the action, Rockman attempted to dig the ring out of him, gasping and whining when the circular object only slipped out of his grasp. There was no way he was able to get his fingers any deeper, and with how wet his was already in between his legs, Rockman wasn't sure how he was going to be able to get a good grip on the ring to pull it out.

"Nhh!" Rockman gasped, clutching himself tighter when another attempt to get the circular object out only seemed to result in it sliding  _deeper_ , splitting him further apart inside. "N-ah… A-ahnnn…!"

" _You're not going to be able to take it out like that."_

Rockman's eyes snapped open. Withdrawing his hand, the blue Navi sat up, ignoring how the ring seemed to move slightly inside of him as he changed positions. His face was entirely red as he looked around for the Navi the voice had belonged to. "F-Forte?!"

" _Relax. I'm talking to you through an audio feed."_  Forte must have sensed the sudden spike in emotions in him.  _"I'm not anywhere you'll see from where you are, but I'm close enough to still be able feel you."_

"..." Rockman sighed. Somehow, having Forte feel what he had been trying to do just moments before was less embarrassing to him than having the other Navi actually  _see_  what he had been doing. "...What's this… thing, anyways?" Rockman asked, placing a hand on his abdomen softly.

" _Hn. Not much."_  He could almost hear the slight shrug as Forte said this.  _"Just a little something that I thought could make you feel good."_

Somehow, the blue Navi managed to stifle the small whine upon hearing this by biting his lips. "I… I don't like this…" Rockman's voice faltered briefly when his insides clutched around the circular object, awkwardly trying to squeeze down onto the thing that was forcing it apart. "T-take it out, Forte."

" _Hmm? You don't like it?"_  Rockman held his breath when Forte paused. He didn't know what the other Navi was thinking, but he knew whatever it was that Forte ended up coming with, he was going to end up on the receiving end of it.  _"I'm sure I can convince you otherwise…"_

"...A-Ahn! Nh, ha-ahnn…!" Rockman cried out, his body wracked with panicked confusion and unwilling pleasure when he felt something else enter into him, rubbing up against his slick walls as he quivered helplessly. Collapsing back onto the sleep cycle station, Rockman held himself, clamping both his legs tightly together, but whatever it was that was now inside of him, it reached even deeper into him. Rockman couldn't stop the startled cry that left him this time when he felt the thing  _spreading_  his soft walls, prying them apart assertively.

"For- Forte…!" The Navi had no idea what was happening. "Wh, wha, ahn-nnhhh…!"

" _So? How does it feel?"_  He heard Forte ask him.  _"It took me quite a while to get ahold of this, you know. Technology based on data-transmission isn't all that uncommon, but one that's on such a small scale is surprisingly difficult to find."_

"D-data-tra, ah- Transmission…?" It was getting increasingly difficult to think straight. "Th-the same technology u-used by warp pads…?"

" _That's right, Mega."_  Forte confirmed.  _"Now imagine that, but roughly ten times smaller."_

Data-transmission on a smaller scale…?

W-wait. That thing inside of him can't possible be-

"Hn!" Rockman shuddered. Squeezing his eyes shut, the blue Navi shook his head, squeezing his legs together as what he now suspected to be Forte's  _fingers_  slid against  _that_ part inside of him- It was normally unreachable, just with his fingers alone, but with how deeply that ring was already forced into him…

"N-ah!" The blue Navi let out a loud cry as Forte placed two of his fingers against him, attempting to coax that inner opening apart as he spread his fingers. "N-nuh, no…! D-do, oh… don't, touch m-me there…!"

Curling up, Rockman was already beginning to sob and shake from over-stimulation. Despite how hard he was keeping his legs shut, Forte was somehow still able to force himself deeper into him, forcing him so completely open…!

His orgasm came suddenly, his body giving an abrupt jerk as he moaned and sobbed incoherently, and though it was only partly true, somewhere in the back of his mind, Rockman realized that he'd just came alone, on his own bed, as if he'd just woken up from a particularly erotic dream, if the trail of slick now running down his closed thighs wasn't damning enough.

" _You seemed to enjoy it."_  Forte's voice snapped him out of his daze.

"...I don't want it anymore." Rockman sniffed. "Take it out." His words were only half-true. The pleasure from the experience was most definitely there, but Rockman wasn't sure if he wanted to experience it again so quickly. It was… quite overwhelming, to say the least.

" _I will."_  Forte told him.  _"...Just not yet."_

"...?!"

Rockman wasn't given an opportunity to react. Before the blue Navi could even begin to question what Forte had meant by that, something else had already forced its way into him through the ring, completely filling him and hitting his inner opening in one quick succession, and Rockman collapsed once more, his body completely lax except for the slight shivers and the occasional jerk as he cried out.


	161. Chapter 139 (Hades Isle)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Apparently, a typhoon's headed directly towards us. I've heard people say that the eye itself is even bigger than our entire city, jfc. Not sure if classes are going to be canceled but hopefully not. I don't wanna attend more make-up classes haha.
> 
> A/N2: Nice boat.

"Hmm…"

"What's the matter, Netto-kun?" X spoke up from his PET. The Navi seemed to have noticed his operator's nervousness. "Is something wrong?"

"Well, nothing's wrong, per se..." The boy took out the PET from its holster, looking at the Navi inside of it. "It's just… Well, I wonder how Maylu and Nii-san are doing…"

"Oh!" X blinked, realizing what was happening. Regardless of what they were doing, Netto was never really separated from his elder sibling. Even if there was something that required the two twins to be apart for a moment, Hub was never truly that far away from him. This was the first time that Netto knew that the two of them would be seperated for the foreseeable future, and that had undoubtedly threw the younger of the two off. "Don't worry! Hub still has Zero to look out for him, and same with Maylu and Roll!" X attempted to cheer his operator up. "And, well, you've got me! We'll help each other through this, so I'm sure everything will turn out alright!"

Netto sighed once more, looking towards the sea where he was standing on the dock. Now that they were nearing the semi-finals of the N2, the operators actually got to net battle inside a battle dome… But with a slight twist.

Similar to that of the endurance battles, the following few battles in the tournament will be themed and recorded live as well. The twist was that this time, the operators all ended up being dragged into whatever narrative the producers had planned. After splitting the remaining fifty competitors into four, final, large groups, Netto was currently waiting for the boat to come transport him and his group of operators to the location where the next part of the tournament would be held.

It probably didn't help the boy's uneasiness that he was the only one in his group to still be in elementary school. Though the majority of the competitors in the first N1 were adults as well, at least Netto still had his group of friends to hang around. This… this was just awkward.

"I guess you're right." Netto nodded after mulling over what his Navi had just said. "There's no use in worrying about something that hasn't happened yet… For now, I'll just try my best to win whatever net battle lies ahead!"

"That's the spirit!"

"Attention all Group D competitors!" It was one of the staff for the tournament. "The boat has arrived and will be departing to your destination in ten minutes! If there's anything you need to do, please be quick about it! If any competitors aren't boarded once ten minutes are up, the boat will leave without you and you will be considered to have forfeited the match!"

"Group D…" X mused out loud. "Hey! That's us!"

"Then that means we better get going." Netto grinned. "Don't wanna lose before we even get the chance to start!"

* * *

" _And so, our heroes head off, setting sail towards a new adventure! Yet unbeknownst to them, they are currently headed straight towards the most infamous, dangerous lands ever known, the jaws of the beast- Hades Isle! What sorts of horrors await our heroes? Will they survive? Be sure to find out on the next episode of the N1 Grand Prix!"_

* * *

The moment Netto stepped off of the boat and set foot onto their destination, the boy couldn't help but take a long moment to observe his surroundings. "Whao… This is…"

The pieces of broken charol crunched underneath him whenever he took a step. The air was filled with some sort of dried, burnt smell, and just before him laid the form of a giant dormant volcano. The boy couldn't help but marvel at how real the entire scene was.

"They must have pulled out all the stops to make this as extravagant as possible…" X must have saw the entire thing through his PET as well, and even the Navi seemed to have trouble hiding his wonder.

"Where in the world were they able to find the place to build this thing? Or was it here already to begin with?" Once the initial shock had passed, Netto began to grow confused. He didn't know about any islands near or surrounding Electopia that had a dormant volcano on it.

"I'm not sure myself…" X answered, his tone thoughtful. "But I'm sure Hub knows! We can ask him once we've finished this round in the tournament!"

"Group D, is that right?" Netto recognized the person as another staff working for the N2. "The challenges in Hades Isle awaits you- Head inside to face your first challenge!"

Netto quickly followed the rest of the group inside. Making his way over the pit of spikes at the entrance using the footbright, the boy quickly spotted the familiar form of a Battle Sphere.

"Alright!" Netto was already getting excited at the thought of getting to battle against another net battler. "We're really doing this!"

" _Foolish humans!"_  A booming voice sounded throughout the area, and Netto jumped, slightly startled. He hadn't expected anything like that!  _"You think you can just wander into my liar without consequences?"_

"It must be the story they're going with in the tournament." X realized.

" _Now, you're trapped forever on this island with no hope of escaping! But if you fight for my entertainment, then I shall consider being merciful and letting whoever is left leave this island alive."_

The Battle Sphere before them then flared to life, showing twelve different plug-in ports into the sphere.

" _Plug into the Battle Sphere before you."_  The voice demanded.  _"Once inside, you shall find a Victory Data, hidden inside the Battle Sphere in order to proceed."_

"...That doesn't sound too bad…" Netto mused out loud.

" _However. There is a catch."_  The voice continued.  _"There are only five Victory Datas within the Battle Sphere, and those who do not manage to acquire a Victory Data once the time limit is up…"_

The voice trailed off, laughing ominously.  _"You will have ten minutes to search for the Victory Datas. Remember- You must be holding the Victory Data in your hands when the time limit is up in order to be able to advance to the next round."_

"We have to be holding the Victory Data when the time limit is up…?" Netto appeared confused as to why the voice had chosen to emphasize this point.

"Netto-kun." X gasped, realizing something. "Do you think it could be something like the endurance battles?"

Frowning, Netto thought about it briefly, before he understood what his Navi was hinting at- If the rules only required them to be holding the Victory Data when the timer was up, then it was possible for another Navi to take the data from your hands in between the time of you finding it and the end of the ten minutes. It wasn't just a rush to see who could find and get to the Victory Datas first- This was an all out battle among twelve different operators and twelve different Net Navies.

And if what happened during the endurance battle was anything to do by…

"...We have to find some way to hide and avoid any other battlers as much as we could." X said softly. "We have to hold onto the Victory Data, and it'll be difficult to do that if we ended up being ganged up on."

"Alright, I got it." Netto nodded. He could see the logic in X's thinking. He wondered what combinations of Battle Chips he should use in order to increase his chances of winning.

" _Now, step forward and plug into the Battle Sphere before you."_

"Ready?" Netto asked as he took his PET out.

"Read as I'll ever be." X said. "Let's do this!"

"Right!" Grinning, the boy took the PET's connection cable in his hand. "Plug in- Rockman X! Transmission!"


	162. Chapter 140 (Victory Data)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Apparently this is the largest typhoon we've seen in like… years. Getting kind of worried now. Hopefully nothing too bad will happen when the typhoon hits.

"Whao…" X couldn't help but recoil in shock once he had successfully logged into the Battle Sphere. The entire area was glowing with a dangerous red tint and the floor panels beneath him were humming with ominous energy. The heat was almost unbearable. "It's like an oven in here!"

"Be careful- We still don't know what else is in here besides those other Navies and the Victory Datas!" Observing the inside of the Battle Sphere through his PET, Netto noticed that the NetNavies of the other competitors have all entered into the arena as well, some of them already headed off in different directions most likely in search for the Victory Datas. "There might be traps or viruses inside the Battle Sphere as well!"

"Got it!" X nodded in agreement. "I'll look for the Victory Datas now!"

Quickly scanning his surroundings, X realized that the area within the Battle Sphere he was current in was a central platform, suspended mid-air, with five different pathways extending from the middle into different areas, each presumably leading to a different Victory Data.

' _I don't want too much confrontation with other Navies… Who knows what else is waiting for me after this challenge?'_  X came to a swift decision.  _'I have to conserve my energy. I'll choose the path with the least amount of Navies.'_

With that in mind, the blue Navi headed towards the farmost pathway. Running down the stairs had led him to a lower area, and the dimmer lighting there made it somewhat difficult to see what was in front of him.

"I hope no one's setting up an ambush, or anything…" X murmured out loud to himself.

"Shh!" As he made his way further down the pathway, he heard the voice of another NetNavi. "Stop! Don't get any closer!"

"Huh?" The blue Navi faltered in his steps, somewhat weary, but mostly confused as he looked at the other Navi. "Why? What's wrong?"

"Not so loud!" The Navi hushed him again. "If you keep talking like that, you'll wake it up!"

"It…?" X was baffled, but his question was soon answered when he followed the other Navi's gaze and realized what he was talking about. At the end of the pathway was the form of a Lavagon virus- larger than any X had ever seen before, and the Navi briefly wondered if the virus' large size suggested that this virus had been customized somehow. Currently, the Lavagon virus appeared deep in slumber, its stomach area raising and lowering as it snored, however, X noticed something else.

Within the virus' curled up tail was a slight tint, and upon closer inspection, the tint appeared to have come from a piece of programme data, with the letter "V" on it. "V… Hey, that's one of the Victory Datas!"

"It would seem so- But I don't think there's any way to retrieve it without waking that virus…" The other Navi sighed. "Maybe we should head back. We might have more luck with the other Victory Datas."

X didn't reply, but the blue Navi couldn't quite agree with what the other Navi had said- True, it would be difficult to retrieve the data without waking the Lavagon virus, but he didn't think they would have time to head all the way back in search for the other Victory Datas. Chances were, they were already found by the rest of the competitors, and X didn't really like the idea of needlessly expending his energy fighting other Net Navies for the Victory Datas. Not when there was a perfectly fine Victory Data right just had to be smart about how he went about getting it.

"Don't worry- I have the perfect Battle Chip for this!" Netto grinned, taking out a Battle Chip. "Attack Battle Chip; Ratton! Slot in!"

As the chip data was received, the small form of a Ratty virus was summoned next to X. Though it took the shape and form of a virus, the Ratty was actually just a programme data that would receive commands and self-destruct shortly after completing its task, making it mostly harmless during net battles, but X could see what Netto was trying to do with this Ratton Battle Chip.

Pointing at the Victory Data underneath the Lavagon Virus' tail, X told the Ratty virus, "Fetch!"

The light on the Ratty virus' back blinked on and off once as it recieved the command. Letting out a small squeak, the virus sped towards the sleeping Lavagon virus, unintimidated despite its gigantic size when compared to itself. Expertly, the Ratty virus burrowed itself underneath the Lavagon virus' tail, taking the Victory Data into its mouth, before burrowing out once more, scurrying its way back towards X, the blue Navi kneeling down and taking the data from the Ratt virus.

"Good job." X praised it. The Ratty virus gave another soft chirp, before it disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"I got this chip in a bargain bin." Netto explained, somewhat sheepishly. "I was holding onto it because I didn't want to just toss it away, but I never thought it'd actually come into handy this time!"

"That's fortunate!" X nodded in agreement. "Now we just have to hold onto this Victory Data…"

"...Ha! Hand over that data right now!"

"?!" Whipping around, X found that the Navi from before was now aiming his buster at him. "Wh-what're you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious?" The navi snorted. "I need the Victory Data in order to advance to the next round- So I suggest you hand it over now, unless you want to get holes blasted into you!"

"...!" X had put two and two together. "You've just been waiting for someone to get the Victory Data for you!"

"And you were stupid enough to fall for it!" The Navi laughed. "Now hand over the data- Or else!"

"No way!" X couldn't believe this was actually happening. "If you want it, then go get your own!"

"Fool! I'll delete you!" Lining up his shot, the Navi fired at him. But Netto had saw it coming.

"Battle Chip; Area Steal! Slot in!"

In a flash, X had disappeared, the energy shot missing its target completely and colliding with the floor instead.

"Damn it!" The Navi cursed, looking around for X. "Where'd he go?!"

" _Grr…"_

"W… What…?" Turning around, the Navi now saw the large form of the Lavagon virus looming over him, clearly woken up by the explosion caused by the energy shot. Instantly, the Navi paled.

"Shit!"

Several steps ahead, X shuddered as he heard the loud screaming now coming from the end of the pathway. "That was close…"

"I know." His operator agreed. "You can't really let your guard down in the N2, huh…"

" _Your ten minutes are up!"_  The booming voice of the announcer said.  _"Your Navies will now be logged out of the Battle Sphere immediately, and the results of this match will be announced shortly!"_

With that, the Navies in the Battle Sphere all plugged out. Logging out of the systems, X returned to his PET, the Victory Data still in his hands.


	163. Chapter 141

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I hate this. Ever since I messed up the math in chapter 131, I now have to live with the consequences. How many contestants are there even left in the N2? I don't know anymore. I'm not good at Maths at all. Also, there's probably not going to be a chapter on 17/9, 22/9, 23/9 and 5/10, all because I have mandatory events at my school. I'll be sure to update on other dates as soon as I know them.

There was a looming nervousness surrounding all twelve of the contestants as their NetNavies were forcefully logged out of the Battle Sphere.

" _...The winners of this round have been decided."_  The ominous voice of the announcer said.  _"Those who shall proceed to the next round… are these contestants!"_

With a click and a creak, the floor tiles underneath seven of the contestants disappeared, dropping them down into the dark depths below.

"Ahhhhhhh!"

"Heeeeeelp!"

"I thought I'd win for suuuuuuure…!"

"No way!" Netto paled in shock. The other remaining contestants seemed just as surprised and unnerved by this sudden turn of events. "You've gotta be kidding me! That's what happens to losers?!"

" _That is correct…"_  The voice laughed, before continuing.  _"Those who cannot pass the challenges of Hades Isle… Shall burn forever in the fiery pits below!"_

"Wh-what?!"

"It's not real, Netto-kun." Seeing how nervous his operator was getting, X decided to remind him that this was just the narrative being told in the tournament. "This is being broadcasted live to an audience, remember? I'm sure they aren't actually dropped into pits of fire. They're probably fine." There was a momentary pause. "...I think…"

"Y-yeah… You're probably right…" Taking a deep breath, the boy attempted to calm himself. "Still. That was real scary. I hope Nii-san and Maylu-chan won their matches and didn't get dropped down to wherever it is."

" _Those who remain, look ahead of you."_  The announcer continued. Looking up from where the other contestants had been dropped into, Netto saw a giant footbridge being lowered down over a pit of spikes, leading towards a set of doors with a dubious, golden symbol adorning it.

" _Proceed ahead to find the next challenge of Hades Isle awaiting you."_  The voice told them.  _"Remember… Only those who survive the challenges of Hades Isle may leave alive…"_

"What do you suppose we'll be facing behind those doors?" Netto quietly asked his Navi.

"I don't have a clue…" X appeared thoughtful. "But whatever it is, we won't just give up without a fight!"

"Right!" Netto nodded in agreement. "We've made it this far already- We'll win the tournament this time for sure!"

* * *

As Netto made his way over the bridge and through the door, the boy was quickly confused when he was met with five more doors with the same golden symbol on it on the other side. "More doors…?"

" _Those who remain, you shall each now choose which door you will go through."_  Once all of the contestants were standing in front of the five doors, the announcer spoke again.  _"On the other side of the door, you shall find another surviving challenger of Group A. Inside, you will face them in combat. Only those who prevail shall proceed."_

"We'll be fighting another net battler from another group?" Netto's eyes widened. "We're finally going to have an actual net battle!"

"Group A, huh…" X pondered out loud. "Isn't that Hub's group?" Then, in a more joking tone, the Navi continued. "What are the chances you'd think we'd face Zero and Hub?"

"Hmm… I hope not." Netto frowned slightly. "It'd be an interesting battle, for sure, but I'm not too confident about actually beating Nii-san and Zero."

" _Now… go forth and choose your own fate."_

"Which door should we go through?" X asked from his PET.

"Well…" Netto hesitated briefly. He turned to look at the rest of the competitors.

"Hm… I don't think it matters which door I go through. I'm sure I'm skilled enough to beat anyone standing through that door…" One of the other competitors said, rubbing his chin. "I don't suppose that there's any harm in letting you choose first, kid."

"Oh." Netto blinked. "Is that really okay?"

"It's fine, kiddo." Another contestant said, this time a woman. "Go on ahead. Just don't take too long deciding, okay?"

"Alright then…" Turning to the doors, Netto settled on the oldest method he knew. Pointing towards each of the doors, the boy said to himself, "Eenie, meenie, miny, moe…"

Finally, he landed on the door on the far left. Swallowing, Netto made his way towards the door. Standing in front of the door, the boy took a short moment to gather himself, before placing a hand onto the door.

"Well… Here I go!"

With that, he pushed the door open.

"...H-huh? This is…?"

The door had led to another room, this one also having a Battle Sphere inside it, but this one only having two ports for plugging in. It was the standard Battle Sphere which net battlers use within tournaments and arcades to battle against each other. However, in contrast to the fiery theme of Hades Isle thus far, the walls of this room appeared to be lined with pillars of ice. In fact, the temperature inside this room seems to be freezingly cold when compared to the heat outside.

"It's as if Hades Isle has frozen over!" X added.

"Hey! So you'll be my opponent for this match?"

Taking his eyes off from his surroundings, Netto turned to the other person in the room, somewhat surprised that it was another boy like him, though the other was clearly several years his senior. "Who're you?"

"Who am I, you say?" The other boy grinned slyly. "I'm Tora! And you must be that net battler Netto everyone's talking about!"

"You know who I am?" Netto's eyes widened.

"Of course I do! You're the runner-up from the first N1! I've watched all your net battles thus far to get a hand of your fighting style- Knowing is half the battle, you know?" Tora said matter-of-factly. "A bit of a shame, though. I was hoping that I'd get to fight that Enzan kid. Bet he'd put up more of a fight than you'll do. Heh."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean!" Netto's emotions had gotten the better of him. "Don't make me out to be some sort of pushover! You'll be sorry you said that!"

"Will I?" Tora still had that air of confidence, borderlining on arrogance as he took out his PET. "Plug into this Battle Sphere here and I'll show you just how weak you are!"

"I'll make you eat your words!" Netto was already fuming with anger as he took out his PET. "Let's do this! Plug in, Rockman X! Transmission!"


	164. Chapter 142 (Kingman)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay guys. If I don't update LGOTN anymore you can assume I died in the typhoon. God bless.

The moment X was plugged into the Battle Sphere, he took one step forward, and nearly fell back on his ass. Scrambling to regain his balance, the blue Navi now saw that the entire battle stage was encased in a layer of ice, making the area extremely slippery, borderline hazardous to walk on, least he accidentally run into something he really wanted to avoid.

"So it's not just the room that's freezing…" X frowned, mumbling out loud. How was he supposed to fight when he couldn't even walk without the risk of falling over? "There has to be some way around this…"

"X!" Netto yelled for his NetNavi's attention. The boy must have noticed something. "Watch out above you!"

"Above me?" Looking up, the Navi's eyes went wide as he saw the shadow of a giant, circular form barreling down towards him. Leaping backwards, X barely just managed to dodge out of the way of the object's path, the ice beneath it shattering and cracking from the force of its collision. As he slid to a stop on the ice, X was now able to see the actual shape of the figure. "...A giant chess piece…?"

That had been a bit too close for comfort. If he hadn't jumped out of the way in time, he would've been crushed for sure.

"Hm. It seems that I might have underestimated you." A voice said, unconcerned. "No matter. I shall not make the same mistake twice."

"...!" At the far end of the battle stage was another NetNavi, and X supposed he shouldn't be too surprised that this Navi resembled that of a chess piece, if the previous attack was of any indication of what he was up against. "You must be Tora's NetNavi!"

"That is correct." The Navi crossed his arms. "I am Kingman, and unfortunately for you, I am your opponent for this match."

Then, Kingman raised one of his hands. As soon as he did, X could hear a shuffling sound, rapidly growing louder coming from behind him. Without even looking, the blue Navi ducked to the side this time, nearly slipping over on the ice as another giant chess piece sped past, narrowly missing him by inches. X watched as the piece gradually slid to a halt on the ice.

"Another chess piece…!" X was growing worried as he steadied himself. "Just how many pieces are there…?"

"Whatever we do, we can't just stand around here and wait for them to attack us!" Netto had apparently decided that it was better to go on the offensive while they still had the chance. "Attack Battle Chip; Canon! Slot in!"

Forming his hand into a canon, X aimed at his opponent still on the far end of the battle stage, before firing an energy shot at Kingman. However, instead of moving away, the Navi stood where he was, and X soon realized why.

Moments before his shot could connect, another chess piece had positioned itself in front of Kingman, effectively protecting the Navi from harm as X's shot bounced harmlessly off of it.

X narrowed his eyes. "Those pieces…" He couldn't help but grow increasingly annoyed by the chess pieces on the battle stage.

"A valiant attempt, but ultimately useless." Kingman motioned for another piece to move. "Counter!"

Out of the corner of his eye, X saw the form of a chess piece- This one seemed to have taken on a shape similar to that of a horse's head- leap towards him. Anticipating the attack, the Navi attempted to duck left, being mindful of the ice underneath his feet, but the chess piece followed his movements. As if seeing that its target had moved, the horse chess piece curved left as well, knocking X completely as it collided with him.

"Guh!" The force was extreme. As X fell backwards onto the ice, he had slid all the way from one end of the battle stage to the other. Still reeling from the impact, X struggled to get back up. "How did that piece move like that?" From what he could tell from the first two attacks, the chess pieces weren't able to change their trajectory mid-attack!

"Your opponent's down!" Tora saw his opportunity to strike. "Get him, Kingman!"

Having been passive for the majority of the battle thus far, Kingman finally acted. With a huff, the Navi lept, high into the air, hovering there for a brief moment before he came barreling down, much like those chess pieces did. "Checkmate!"

"X!" Netto panicked. If he didn't do something now, X was going to get crushed! "Attack Battle Chip; Mini Bomb! Slot in!"

Several small explosions rung throughout the Battle Sphere, dust and smoke blowing everywhere just as Kingman slammed into the ground. As the haze cleared, X was nowhere to be seen. "Hm…?"

"That was close…" X was already at the other side of the battle stage. The Navi was already familiar with the tactic of obstructing visibility with the smoke from the Mini Bombs in order to get out of situations he might not otherwise.

"...Resourceful." Kingman sounded both impressed and annoyed at the same time. "But you'll run out of tricks to use eventually." Raising his hands once more, Kingman instructed the chess pieces to attack. "Engage!"

X was prepared when the pieces charged at him once more. The two that had attacked him initially the first time made a beeline for him, and X avoided them with relative ease this time.

"Netto-kun, do you see anything weird with these chess pieces?" X asked, an inkling suspicion beginning to form in his mind.

"Well, not really…" Netto appeared lost as he pondered over X's question. "But for whatever reason, they're moving in straight lines once more. I've no idea why that one piece changed its direction like that."

"That's the thing." X said, firing a shot at one of the pieces and disabling it temporarily. "That piece was shaped weirdly as well…" As another chess piece shot towards him, X side-stepped this attack, the piece passing by him harmlessly. "...Do you think that the shape of the pieces have something to do with how they move?"

"...!" Netto was baffled for only a brief moment, before he caught on to what X was implying. "I see! Do you think that's actually the case?"

"I think so." X nodded. "If it is, we can definitely use it to our advantage."

"It's worth a shot!" Coming to a decision, Netto grinned as he took out a Battle Chip. "Attack Battle Chip; Step Sword! Slot in!"

"You won't pass my defences!" As X formed his hand into a sword, Kingman was ready with a counter. "Blockade!"

In an instant, four giant chess pieces formed an impenetrable wall in front of Kingman, but X was able to phase through the wall, reappearing swiftly on the other side, the additional ability of the Step Sword acting much like a one-time Area Steal. Seeing that Kingman was now open for attack, X didn't hesitate to make a dash towards him.

Somehow, Kingman was prepared for this as well. The Navi raised his hand. "Counter!"

This time, it was the horse shaped chess piece that moved. Moving in front of Kingman, the chess piece leapt forwards, aiming directly for X, but he wasn't about to fall for the same trick twice.

Instead of ducking to the side as Kingman probably expected he would, X instead threw himself forwards, the ice-covered floor allowing him to slide underneath the horse shaped chess piece with ease. Had it been any of the other pieces attacking him from before, he would have probably been crushed when he attempted to duck underneath the chess piece, but for this one…

' _As I suspected.'_  X grinned to himself.  _'All the pieces' movements are pre-programmed. They can only move in a certain way and never another!"_

Now that his opponent was open for attack, X raised his sword, charging towards Kingman.

"Checkmate!"

With that, he slashed through Kingman with his sword, successfully forcing the other Navi to plug out.


	165. Chapter 143

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay so apparently every university expect ours got a day off tomorrow. I guess I'm going to school in water boots. By the way, there won't be a chapter tomorrow. Just a heads up.
> 
> A/N1: Okay, no school tomorrow, but I still gotta go back for the event fml lol.

"Ugh!" Tora had kicked the side of the Battle Sphere in anger once the results of their net battle became clear. "Damnit! I can't believe I lost to a brat!"

"How'd you like that?" Netto taunted him. He still couldn't quite forgive the older boy for calling him weak just prior to their battle.

"Why you…!" For a moment, it appeared as if the elder boy wanted to say more, but he had stopped himself. Falling quite, Tora huffed and crossed his arms, before speaking once more. "...Alright. You got me. I'll give you that much."

"...Huh?" Netto blinked, somewhat confused. He fully expected the other boy to fly into rage of fury, having being beaten like that after he'd made himself out to be all high and mighty.

"You were able to see through and counter my strategy, and I suppose that's something I can respect." Looking aside, Tora scratched the back of his head. "...Shouldn't have expected any less from someone who made it to the finales in the N1. Heh."

"W-well, I…" Netto coughed. The boy didn't want to seem rude by holding a grudge now. "...You were quite good as well. The way you use those chess pieces in that battle really threw me for a loop."

"Aw, shucks." Tora laughed. "It's just a hobby I have outside of net battling. Anyways, you go on ahead and give it your all in the next battles too, okay? I won't feel so bad about losing to you if you happen to win the N2 this time."

"You don't have to tell me that!" Netto grinned as well. Perhaps the other boy wasn't as bad as he'd originally thought? "But thanks, though!"

" _The battles for this round of eliminations have all been concluded!"_  Netto jumped when the voice of the announcer spoke out suddenly.  _"The winners of this round have been decided, and they are… these contestants!"_

With another click, the floor tile underneath Tora's feet vanished, the boy letting out an undignified scream as he fell, and Netto took a step backwards, laughing nervously. "I don't think it'll never not be scary, not matter how many times I see it…"

" _Those who remain, the door in the middle shall now open for you."_  Looking around, Netto noticed that there were two, smaller doors of the two far ends of the room, one which he'd come from, and the other he'd assume Tora had entered into the room through. However, just on the wall besides the Battle Sphere, there was another door, this one far larger, and it was now opening with a slow, ominous creak.

" _The next match shall test not only your own abilities, but those of your teammates as well."_  The announcer explained.  _"Once you head through the door, you shall find another contestant who has also passed through the same trials and tribulations as you had. They shall be your teammate in the following tag-team battle."_

" _Continue along the main hallway, and there, you shall find your opponents for this elimination round. Remember, only those who survive the challenges of Hades Isle may leave alive. "_  The announced laughed mysteriously once more.  _"Now go forth and meet your friend and foes for the next challenge!"_

"A tag-team battle, huh…" Netto stood in front of the large door nervously. The path ahead was dimly lit, and he couldn't see quite well what lies ahead. "Who do you think we'll run into?" He asked X.

"I don't know." X shrugged. "But what are the chances that we'd get to team up with Blues again like we did in the N1? That'd be wild!" The blue Navi appeared a bit too excitable as he pondered over the possibility.

"I just hope we don't get paired up with Maylu and Roll…" Netto didn't share his Navi's enthusiasm.

"O-oh…" X had just been about to ask why, when the Navi remembered what had happened just days prior to these rounds of the N2. The twins and Maylu still hadn't made up yet, and he supposed that it would get really awkward if they had to work together in a net battle while there was still that cloud looming over them. "Well… We won't know for sure, but we definitely wouldn't if we just stand here. I'm sure even if we do get paired up with Roll and Maylu, we'd still find a way to work it out, somehow."

"I guess there's not much else we can really do…" Sighing, Netto stepped through the doorway, albeit somewhat reluctantly. "Here goes nothing…!"

* * *

Several moments after he'd went through the doorway and began walking along the hallway, Netto heard the faint sounds of another pair of approaching footsteps.

"That must be our partner for the tag-team battle!" X realized.

"Hello?" Netto called out to whoever it was that they were nearing. "Who's there?"

"..." There was a slight pause before the boy got a reply. "...Netto-kun?"

The boy's eyes widened instantly. He recognized that voice- He couldn't believe his luck!

"Nii-san!" Running towards where he'd heard the voice come from, Netto had met his elder sibling half-way, the two twins giving each other a hug as they were reunited.

"I knew you'd be able to make it, Netto-kun!" Hub beamed at his younger sibling as they broke apart from the hug.

"It wasn't easy- There's a lot more strong opponents that in the N1!" Netto was smiling brightly as well as the two twins continued their way down the main hallway. "What about you, Nii-san? Who'd you fight in your match?"

"Well, Zero and my opponent was a woman called Tamako and her NetNavi Metalman." Hub began recalling the details of his battle. "I'm still not sure how Zero and I managed to win that battle- Her NetNavi can do all sorts of crazy things with metal, and he could summon large gears that flew everywhere!"

"But you won, didn't you?" Netto raised an eyebrow. "How'd you do it?"

"It's somewhat thanks to luck." Hub smiled. "Since the stage we were on was filled with electricity and littered with conduits, Zero and I figured that if we can get Metalman to attack with his Metal Fist close enough to the power conduits, the electricity from them might be enough to temporarily disable him." The elder Hikari shrugged at that. "It was fortunate that he didn't catch on to what we were trying to do. I was getting worried that we might have been a bit too obvious with our plan."

"Are you kidding me?" Netto pouted slightly. "You always say that Nii-san! You just don't give yourself enough credit! You're a lot smarter than you say you are!"

"Th-thanks…" Hub looked away, quickly changing the subject. "Let's just focus on the next match for now, okay?"

Moments later, the two arrived at yet another pair of doors. Pushing them open, the two twins winced at the light from the brightly lit room, this one was a lot larger than the one that they'd come from, and the two could already tell that the Battle Sphere in the center of the room was meant for four people instead of two.

"Eh? So you two are going to be our opponents for this match?" Looking towards the other side of the Battle Sphere, Netto and Hub saw that the comment had come from one of their opponents, the man looking bored and somewhat annoyed as he said this. "Pish. This should be easy."

"Hey!" Netto couldn't believe it. Why was everyone so determined to look down on them just because they were younger?

Hub ignored the comment. Instead, the elder of the two twins turned to look at their other opponent instead, and unlike his partner, this person was wearing a weird mask and was covered head to toe in an ominous black and red cloak. In fact, Hub couldn't even tell if it was a man or a woman underneath all that cloth.

' _This guy gives me the creeps…'_  Hub frowned.  _'...But, could he be an android like those in the N1? Maybe they still hadn't changed the rules about letting Independent Navies fight in tournaments? Could we be facing another Independent Navi in this match?'_

"Let's not waste any more time!" It was the more vocal of their opponent. The man took out his PET. "Once I'm done with the two of your NetNavies, I'm going on to win this tournament!"

"As if! We'll show you that we're no pushover!" Netto turned to his elder sibling. "Let's get them, Nii-san!"

"Right." Hub nodded. They had to make it past these two if they wanted to advance in the N2, afterall. "Plug in-"

"Rockman X!"

"Rockman Zero!"

"Transmission!"


	166. Chapter 144

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey guys, finally getting back to LGOTN. Sorry about the prolonged hiatus, but this week was just wild. I'll have another chapter up that I'll delete when I post the next chapter explaining what basically happened this week, but man. Mangkhut fucked a lot of things up for us.

The moment X and Zero were plugged into the Battle Sphere, they noticed that this battle stage was a lot smaller than any other environments they've battled in before. This one took the shape of an enclosed room, and not very well lit at that.

"We're going to have to fight in this cramped space…?" X was understandably worried.

"I know." Zero agreed. "I don't think we'll be able to use evasion as well as we could in a more open area. We have to be careful."

"...Huh?" Out of the corner of his eye, X noticed something speeding towards them. "Zero! Watch out!"

A set of Mini Bombs were flung their way, and X received the Battle Chip data for Barrier just in time to shield him and Zero from the attack, the bombs colliding against the barrier harmlessly. There wasn't much space for X or Zero to run from the attack, and the two Navies would have gotten seriously injured otherwise. Not wanting to risk another attack when their sight was heavily obstructed by the smoke from the bombs, Zero summoned his sword, cutting through the thick haze with a quick swing, and was just quick enough to deflect the canon shot headed straight towards them.

"Feh, you got lucky that time." Once the immediate threat was dealt with, X and Zero looked towards where the voice had come from. It appeared to be an ordinary commercial-type model NetNavi, but both x and Zero knew that that fact along didn't directly translate into strength; Many skilled net battlers liked the challenge of working with non-customized Net Navies, and the resulting strategies they built around these Normal Naives proved to be interesting. Perhaps somewhat unconventional, but effective nonetheless.

Raising his buster once more, the Normal Navi took aim. "This time, I won't miss!"

The second canon shot was fired, but X was anticipating the attack this time, and responded with his own charged buster shot, the two energy projectiles colliding against each other mid air. "As if! I won't let that happen!"

As the two Navies begin to match each other shot for shot, Zero had decided to take a more defensive position in the back. Though he was far from a weak opponent, the red Navi realized that his strength mainly lied in his speed during close-ranged combat. He was normally quite effective with using swords and blades in battle, as he was both brutal while attacking, yet quick enough to retreat back before anything could go horribly wrong, but in such a tightly confined space, Zero knew that his agility would be rendered quite useless. He didn't want to risk putting himself in an awkward position where he would be unable to dodge away from a close-up attack, and he trusted X enough to know that the blue Navi would be able to hold out, for now. But as he continued to watch their current opponent closely to determine any sort of weakness to the strategy he was using, a sudden thought had occurred to him, and Zero didn't know how he hadn't realized it until now.

Concern and worried spiked instantly, and Zero drew his sword.  _'That's strange- I thought we were supposed to be fighting against two opponents in this match!'_  The red Navi began scanning the room, trying to determine where their second opponent was hiding before they could be ambushed.  _'Where could he be…?!'_

Then, out of the corner of his eye, Zero spotted something. A tiny trickle of sand seeping through some cracks in the ceiling, and while he wasn't sure what that meant, Zero knew that he didn't have the time to contemplate it. He wasn't going to take that risk. Turning to X, Zero leapt at him, extending his hand forward just as he attempted to push X out of the way. "X! Watch out!"

Startled, X turned back, just in time to see Zero charging for him, the two Navies colliding into each other, just barely missing another shot from the opposing Navi's busters before all hell broke loose.

" **Sand Tomb!"**

Blocks of cubical stone began to seep in through the ceiling along with the sand, pummeling down into the small, confined space where the three Navies were still in. Having successfully threw the two of them against one of the walls of the arena, X and Zero pressed themselves against the surface, fortunately able to steer clear away from the chaos safe for some smaller debris sent flying by the falling blocks. However, both of them suspected that the Normal Navi wasn't as lucky.

As the last of the blocks fell and crumbled onto the floor, the deafening rumble gradually died down, and the dust slowly settled. Reopening their eyes, X and Zero were shocked to find that the floor of the arena had taken on an even more treacherous form- The battle stage now simulated that of quicksand, with blocks of shattered stone from the previous attack rapidly sinking into the mix. In the centre of the arena, X spotted the Normal Navi, with half his body already sunken into the sand, and much to X's horror, the sand appeared to be corrosive, eating up the remaining form of the Navi that hadn't been already taken by the sand.

"Help… me…!" That was all X managed to make out as the rest of the Navi's body turned into sand, before it completely broke down and was eaten up by the wreckage.

"Shit...!" Even Zero had trouble maintaining his composure after witnessing such a scene. He'd seen Navies being deleted before, but that had been much too gruesome a way to go. "They've just deleted their teammate!"

"Something tells me they don't care…" X frowned as he looked at the bubbling sand beneath them. The stone blocks weren't just aimed at them. They had clearly been dropped into the room without any regard of who might get caught in it. Had Zero not pushed him out of the way as he did…

A sifting sound coming from the sand brought X out of his thoughts, the soft sound quickly turning into a loud rumble as a giant figure emerged from the sand. It was some sort of half- formed figure resembling that of a head, with two bright red orbs glowing menacingly within its deep, sullen sockets. X barely managed to suppress a shiver when a deformed grin spread itself across the figure's face.

" **Gwooaar…"**  It took a moment before both Navies were able to make out what the sounds coming from the head was.  **"So… You've managed to live my Sand Tomb…"**

Zero raised his sword defensively. "I'm guessing you're supposed to be our second opponent?" There really was no doubt in Zero's mind, but the red Navi had hoped that if he managed to get the other Navi to talk, perhaps it would buy them some time to figure out a strategy to navigate through the deadly, sinking sand.

" **My name is desertman…"**  The strange head said, the orbs that somewhat resembled eyes twitching around in its sockets, before falling upon X and Zero.  **"You… You two, look familiar…"**

"So, you've heard of us before!" Zero taunted, narrowing his eyes. "I guess that means you realize how badly you're about to be beat!"

Desertman didn't reply instantly. Instead, the large Navi seemed to be actively concentrating, attempting to remember something. It was a good several seconds before a somewhat disconcerting smile broke out on his features once more.  **"Oh… Hohoho… I remember now… You two, are friends with that pink Navi…"**

"Roll?" It was X this time. Suspicion, horror and uncertainty flickered through his eyes. "What did you do to her?!"

" **I remember… I remember…"**  Desertman seemed genuinely pleased with himself, the fact of which made the entire scene more terrifying.  **"Hehehehe… She screamed… She screamed so beautifully…"**

The sands began to shift once more, and this time, two giant hands emerged, the appendages only maintaining their shape as more sand came to replace it as quickly as it could fall apart. Desertman inched closer towards X and Zero, his grin now so wide that it was like a dark void that was threatening to swallow them whole.

" **Soon…"**  Desertman's eyes glowed, his intent clear as he loomed over the two smaller Navies.  **"Soon, you'll be the ones screaming…"**


	167. Chapter 145 (Desertman)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Oh my god so I was just looking around on YouTube when I found this series called "Takeshi's Castle" and it's so dumb and stupid and I love it. The game maker's reaction to the competitors attempting to go through their course is basically just "lmao die bitch".

X was shaking in a combination of fear and rage after Desertman's spheal, that the Navi could only stand there and yell incoherently as the desert Navi's hand flew in towards him. X fired shot after shot from his buster at the sand appendage as it drew near, but each of the energy shots just bounced harmlessly off of the hand.

"X!" Drawing his sword, Zero leapt forward and slashed at the hand, slicing the giant appendage clean in half, the sand losing its form and crumbling into the sinking wreckage before he turned to X. "Are you crazy?! Pull yourself together!"

"Zero!" It was obvious that X still hadn't yet recovered from his initial shock. "That Navi deleted Roll!"

"That's just the worst case scenario!" Zero raised his voice. He was nervous and somewhat scared about their current predicament as well, but he knew that they needed to focus on defeating their current opponent, even if it meant he had to suppress his own emotions temporarily in order to think straight, and he needed X to see this as well. They could deal with the aftermath of this once they weren't directly in danger of being deleted. "Remember- Roll had Maylu as her operator! It's likely that she had plugged Roll out once she realized that something was wrong; We can't just trust whatever this Navi's telling us!"

For a moment, it seemed as if X had been about to argue with Zero- The navi couldn't believe that Zero was so unconcerned with their friend's well being as to tell him off, but as he listened to the other Navi's reasoning, he gradually began to come back to his own senses. "Y… You're right. He might be saying this just to get to us…!"

Before either X or Zero could dwell on this matter any longer, a loud sifting sound was heard above them. Without looking, both Navies jumped back onto two separate platforms, just as several large blocks fell onto the one that they were just on, breaking the stone platform apart as it sunk into the quicksand entirely.

" **Hehehehe…"**  Among the sand, Desertman was laughing menacingly.  **"Foolish insects… Soon, you'll all fall into the sand…"**

X cursed as he watched the final pieces of derib being swallowed up, the sand bubbling softly as it disappeared. It was as if there were sand pariahs just lying in the wait, about the chew up anything that was unfortunate enough to fall into the quicksand. "We have to find a way to work around this sand somehow!" He yelled out to Zero.

"I would prefer it if we didn't try moving anywhere above the sand at all." Zero yelled back, inching away from the side of the platform he was on as bits and pieces were being eaten up by the sand. "We don't have the time to take such risks! Just shoot him from afar!"

"...Alright…!" X was unnerved by the deformed face made out of sand that was just starting at him from the far end of the room, but he understood what Zero had meant. The more time they spent trying to navigate across the platforms, the more time they were giving the sand to corrode and gnaw away at the few remaining places where it was safe to stand. Trying to reach other platforms from the ones they were currently on also meant that they were potentially exposing themselves to the danger of falling into the quicksand below, if they were unlucky enough to get caught off guard by an attack during an attempt.

X realized that they needed to end this quickly, so they can recover and possible piece out what had happened to Roll during her match. Bringing both hands together, X formed his two hands into a giant cannon, and took aim. "Zeta Canon!"

A large beam of energy shot out, speeding directly towards Desertman. The sand Navi made some sort of growling sound, before the shot had collided, sending sand and debris flying everywhere. Once the dust had settled, Desertman was nowhere to be seen. In the place where his head used to be was the form of a giant crater created by X's attack.

"Did… Did we do it…?" X was slightly hopeful. He couldn't see through the smoke after the explosion, but their opponents sudden disappearance could only mean that his attack was successful… Right?

Before Zero could say anything, he heard a low groan coming from above them. Looking up, the Navi gasped when he saw the crooked smile on Desertman's face at the sand Navi easily navigated the walls of the ceiling, trails of sand seeping down onto them as he moved.

" **Hehehe… It's useless… Useless…"**  Desertman said, his red eyes gleaming.  **"I can move across any surface… Your attacks can't hit me!"**

Gritting his teeth, X raised his buster and fired several more shots at their opponent, but the sand Navi just retreated back into the walls, the shots colliding against the surface, leaving behind some dents but otherwise, Desertman appeared unharmed as the Navi resurfaced once again from the ceiling.  **"You've had your shot… Now, it's my turn…"**

With another long groan, several more stone blocks manifested themselves from the trickling sand, but this time, the blocks were clearly aimed for X and Zero.  **"Desert Tomb!"**

Eyes wide, Zero had leapt from his platform just as the stone blocks came barreling down towards him. The red Navi continued to avoid the onslaught of attacks through the dust and smoke that it caused, only slowing to a halt and finding another relatively secure looking platform to land on once the rumble began to subside. However, as he looked around the confined room once he determined that he was temporarily safe from harm, the Navi abruptly realized that he wasn't able to locate his companion. Panic and uncertainty began to set in. "X?" Zero called out. He hoped that his friend was alright, and he was indeed just worrying over nothing.

He got a coughed response. "Zero…!"

Turning to where the sound had come from, Zero's relief that X was still alive and well was short-lived, when he saw that Desertman currently had the other Navi swallowed waist-down into his maw, the sand already beginning to eating away at the blue Navi's form.

" **Hehehe…"**  Desertman let out a rumbling laugh, clearly pleased with himself. Gasping, X struggled, attempting to dislodge himself from the sand Navi's grasp, but it didn't work. He was absolutely and completely stuck.  **"There's no escape… Once you've been consumed by the sand… You'll soon become a part of me!"**


	168. Bad Omens 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Aww yee boiyos pokemon AU let's go.
> 
> 1\. Once again, this AU is unrelated to LGOTN plot-wise, and should be read as an entirely different story completely.  
> 2\. NetNavies are pokemon in this AU, while human characters remain human, but have entirely different backstories all together.  
> 3\. Humans and pokemon see themselves differently. When human characters look at characters who are pokemon, they see an actual pokemon. But when pokemon characters look at themselves and other characters who are also pokemon, they see themselves as people with some pokemon features ie. Having tails or wings.  
> 4\. Some pokemon elements may not be accurate to the canon- I'm not nearly as knowledgeable of pokemon as I am of Rockman. Sorry.
> 
> With that out of the way, please enjoy.

The townsfolk in general liked doctor Cossack. The man used to work as a vet before their town had a pokemon centre, and though the man was now retired, many still hold respect and admiration for the work he'd done. He was kind and well-acquainted with the majority of the people in town, and though it had already been several years since his daughter had left on her own pokemon journey, many still remembered her as a delightful young girl.

In contrast, nearly none of the townsfolk liked Cossack's Mightyena, Forte. No one really knows much about the hyena-like pokemon, but it appears that Cossack had taken it in when it had still been a Poochyena. What they did know, however, was that the Mightyena was extremely ill-tempered. It seemed to be constantly irritable, occasionally barking wildly at people just passing by, and there wasn't any one in the town who hadn't been bitten- or, at least, nearly bitten- by it, and everyone quickly realized that it was just better to ignore, or outright avoid it altogether.

* * *

Forte wanted to scream as he watched yet another small group of human wander off into the tall grass with sticks in their hands. Idiots, the lot of them. They'd probably get attacked by other, wild, pokemon and get eaten before they even know it. He'd probably get blamed for that, too, among other things.

He walked back and forth from where he was standing towards the patch of tall grass and back several times as these thoughts crossed his mind, conflicted, before he finally settled on just sitting where he was and observing the group of human children quietly. Forte recognized this particular group of troublemakers, as it hadn't been the first time they'd skipped school in order to go play amongst the tall patches of grass at the back of the school building, and he'd actually chased them out of the grass the last time in fear of them getting hurt or lost. It had the desired effect, but apparently one of the brats had scrapped his knees when he fell running away from him. The parent of the child had later yelled at him, then at Cossack, demanding him to keep a better leash on his pet and threatening to call the authorities if her child were to get hurt again.

Forte didn't care much for being yelled at. He'd tuned the woman out halfway during her deranged screechings, but he found it completely unacceptable that the woman would dare scream at his father. He had nearly been unable to contain his anger and was just moments away from unsheathing his claws and scratching the woman across her face, but the knowledge that doing so probably wouldn't help his father and only serve to incriminate him more had prevented him from doing so, even if his claws had itched knowing that it would have been extremely gratifying to put that human female in her place.

This was why he'd opted to just sit quietly and simply observe from afar how the group of brats would get into trouble, sooner or later. Forte didn't actually want the kids to be killed, or get eaten- It wasn't their fault that their mother was a complete lunatic!- but he  _was_  hoping that they might get non-fatally injured. Perhaps that would finally traumatize them enough to not go into places so obviously dangerous again.

He was just unable to wrap his mind around it. Forte didn't think that his demands were all that outrageous- It wasn't as if he wanted recognition for what he was doing, though, he supposed it would be good to have. But was it really too much to ask for to  _not_  be yelled at for doing literally anything? Even Cossack's daughter, Kalinka, had been extremely bad about wandering into tall grass when she had been younger, but at least he didn't get yelled at for simply attempting to look after the human girl!

Forte grew increasingly more agitated the more he thought about it. He snorted and flicked his tail. Perhaps he might even let one of the brats die while the rest non-fatally injured. Perhaps then the rest of the townsfolk might change their tunes about him.

He was still very much sour about his predicament when he heard the sudden but not completely unexpected scream from one of the human children. Yawning, Forte glanced over lazily. Expecting it to just be some small, critter-like pokemon, he'd originally had the intention of letting the brats get chased around for a bit, maybe even injured slightly, before stepping in and scaring whoever the aggressor was off, but the moment he saw the figure that was approaching the group of human children, that idea was thrown completely out of the window.

Forte snapped to full alertness as his eyes set on the supposed attacker; The singular, curved horn and deathly white fur wasn't like anything he'd ever seen before, but it was a dead giveaway to him that this was no ordinary critter that just so happened to be roaming around the area. If he let the scene play out like he'd originally intended, it would be a complete slaughter.

Rising to his full height, Forte yelled to get the newcomer's attention. "Hey you!"

The other pokemon had turned to him, his look slightly startled, but not frightful. Forte snarled. "Get lost! Scram!"

The reaction he got wasn't one that he was expecting. Normally, that enough would be enough to scare anyone senseless, but the other had merely blinked at him, the action almost playful, before shrugging and heeding his words, and Forte had paused briefly in surprise as the other pokemon quickly fled to where he had come from.

Shaking his head, Forte pulled himself together. It was clear that the other didn't see him as a threat. That wasn't good at all- It he didn't establish the fact that he wasn't supposed to be taken lightly it would only encourage the other pokemon to return and cause more trouble at a later date, and that wasn't something that he'd wanted. He had to follow up on his threats, to nip the problem in the bud before it could have the chance to spread.

With that thought in mind, Forte had followed the attacker, up the mountainside just behind the town.


	169. Bad Omens 2 (H)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Another Bad Omens chapter because this is my fic and I write what I want in it. Anyways, you might want to skip this chapter because it contains dub-con, borderlining on non-con depending on how you look at it. This AU starts out pretty strong but it'll slow down when we begin to learn about the characters' backstories in this spinoff.
> 
> EDIT: Okay nvm this chapter is non-con. Skip if you don't want to read that shit.

"Fucking shit…"

Forte begrudgingly slowed to a trot, allowing himself to catch his breath. Damn it. He hadn't expected to be outrun like that. The mightyena was now halfway up the mountainside and had lost all track of his intended target. He kicked a small pebble down the side of the hill in a combination of anger and annoyance. Forte knew his own strength. He was nowhere near being out of shape, but the amount of distance that the other had managed to put in between them was just… humiliating. He narrowed his eyes at the thought.  _'Idiot must've gotten lucky…'_

Looking around, Forte noticed the outline of the town somewhere beneath the mountainside. He must have unknowingly traveled quite the distance in pursue of the other pokemon. At least it seemed to be a clear path back down. He was a bit hesitant, but Forte realized he should probably return back to the town soon. He might actually get himself lost if he continued over the mountainside, which he was now beginning to suspect might have been the other's intention.

Forte frowned. The bastard got lucky and slipped through his claws this time. If the other was smart, he'd know not to come back and stir up any trouble- Forte wasn't going to let it slide like he had this time!

Turning back to where he'd come from, Forte was fully intended to go back down the mountain, when a sudden force slammed into his back, latching onto him. On instinct, the mightyena began thrashing around violently, attempting to dislodge whatever had attached itself to his back while cursing himself internally. He'd let his guard down and his attacker was now going for his back!

Arms circled around his neck, and panic spiked in him as Forte expected the claws to come slashing down across his throat. The hold did tighten, but what followed was a pair of soft lips being pressed onto the side of his face.

...Someone was kissing him!

Driven by shock, Forte grabbed the arms in front of him and threw whoever it was over his head. There was a startled yelp quickly followed by a thud as the ambusher collapsed onto the ground in front of him, and Forte recognized it to be the white-furred pokemon from before. The other pokemon had met his gaze as he attempted to get up from the ground, but there wasn't as much as a slight hint of worry or nervousness in his look. Instead, Forte saw that he was being observed with interest and cautious curiosity.

' _The nerve of him!'_

With a snarl, Forte threw himself at the offending pokemon. The intent to hurt the other, to teach him a lesson was there, but his knees abruptly gave out from underneath him. He collapsed onto the ground, his body suddenly burning hot. He felt weak and immobilized, and realized a bit too late what the other had done.

' _A-attract…?'_

He watched as the other approached him slowly. The alertness was quickly fading from his mind, yet he felt his breath sped up. Once he was near, the other touched his shoulders gently, and Forte swallowed. The mightyena knew he should be doing something right about now, but it was getting difficult to think through the haze of warmth flooding his mind. He only realized the other must have turned him over when he suddenly found himself on his back- He remembered falling forward, didn't he?

Then, the other  _climbed onto_  him, and Forte gasped. He should  _definitely_ be doing something here, but  _oh god he was so soft and warm and nice._

"Wha-" Forte took a breath to steady himself and instantly regretted it. He ended up getting a lungful of the strange pheromones in the air all around him. He felt dizzier already. "What… are you doing…?"

He shivered when the other had shuffled up closer to him, and emerald eyes blinked in the same playful manner they had at him. "I want you."

Forte found himself thinking that it had been a nice voice, that he didn't quite notice the other trailing a hand down, gently touching and coaxing something out of his pouch, and it wasn't until when he felt the sudden tight heat squeezing around him that he regained some sort of senses. " _Fuck!_ "

He bucked, attempting to get up, or twist to the side to throw the other off of him, but the hands on his chest were pushing him down. There was a moan being whispered against his ear, and that had snapped Forte into a brief moment of clarity.

_What was happening? What was he doing?!_

Huffing, Forte ignored the tight clutching around him, even if it was  _so nice and warm in there…_  He took the other pokemon's hand, the one currently pushing down onto him and squeezed, his claws threatening to dig through the other's fur and into his skin. "Get off…"

He hissed as the other slowly began to raise his hips, the tight walls pulling at his length as the other withdrew, but just as he was about to make an attempt to kick the other pokemon off of him, he had slammed back down, and Forte couldn't help back groan, falling back down as he lost his composure.

"I want it." It was the same voice again, those this time much breathier, almost quivering, and Forte gasped when he felt the other grind into him, with both his knees planted firmly at the side of his waist. "Come for me."

There was another sudden jerk upwards, and Forte hissed when he felt his body stiffen in orgasm. He was aware of the soft walls clamping down tighter around him as the other pokemon wrapping his arms around his neck once more, laying down on top of him. There was the feeling of warmth and fuzziness as the other rubbed his cheek against him. "Hhnnn…"

Then, Forte snapped out of his infatuation.

Flipping over abruptly, Forte winced, ignoring the spike of pain as he forcefully threw the other off from him, accidentally straining the half-formed knot. There was the sound of surprise as the other was thrown over, throwing up a cloud of dust as he collapsed onto the ground with a sizable thud.

Forte didn't even bother to look over to check what had happened to the other pokemon. Gathering himself, the mightyena ran, speeding back down the mountainside and towards the town with feelings of confusion and inadequacy. Had Forte been not so concerned about putting as much distance between him and the other pokemon as possible, he might have been ashamed of himself; He had always prided himself on his valour, and it hurt his pride realizing that he was running away from another pokemon, even though he had a completely valid reason to do so.


	170. Chapter 146

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I haven't been feeling very productive recently… It's like I can complete one small task everyday, but then I lose my motivation really quick when it comes to schoolwork. Do you guys think trying to break larger work down into smaller tasks helps or actually hurts your productivity? Because I'm not too sure at this point.

"X! Plug out now!" Zero didn't care if they lost the tournament at this point- He wasn't going to let his friend be deleted right in front of him!

Meanwhile, X was still struggling to stay above the sand. He had one hand outstretched, attempting to grab hold onto anything solid to slow his descent into the quicksand, but both Navies knew that X was merely delaying the inevitable. X had to plug out now or risk being eaten up by the sand.

"I… I can't!" X yelled back the best he could. His grip was slipping, and his strength was fading even faster.

Zero wasn't having any of it. "What do you mean you can't?! Just plug out right now!"

" **Hehehe…"**  The ominous laugh coming from Desertman broke their conversation.  **"Did you think… It would be so easy to escape from my sand…?"**

"...!" Zero scowled, the realization accompanied by the sinking dread settled in. Desertman's sand must be preventing X from plugging out from the Battle Sphere somehow. That was the only reason he could think of. Anger and panic washed through him once the initial shock had passed. He stepped forward, waving his sword in front of him. "Let him go now!"

" **Gwoaar…"**  Desertman let out another rumble, shaking the entire room.  **"Why don't you come over here and free him yourself…?"**

"Don't do it!" X saw through what the sand Navi was attempting to do immediately; The Navi was trying to bait Zero into coming closer so that he could trap Zero in the sand, too! "It's a trap!"

His words appeared to have made Zero reconsider his action just in time. The Navi stilled, narrowing his eyes as he realized what X was trying to tell him.

"If we can't go for any close ranged attacks, then we just have to attack him at the distance!" Hub decided. The boy took out a Battle Chip. "Attack Battle Chip; Variant Sword! Slot in!"

"Variant Sword!" With a swing, the newly summoned sword shifted its shape, and a wave of energy was unleashed from it, speeding towards Desertman.

His opponent was anticipating the attack, however. Just as the wave of energy was about to land, two sand pillars rose up from the ground. Zero's attack collided with the two sand pillars, breaking them, but wasn't able to penetrate through them, and Desertman was left relatively unharmed.

" **Did you think it will be that easy?"**  Desertman laughed in that same haunting manner that he had, the broken smile on his face spreading wider than it was thought possible. The sand was shifting rapidly underneath him, and X was having trouble staying above the sand.  **"Now watch your friend perish!"**

"X!" Zero didn't want to watch X be deleted right in front of him, but he didn't know what to do! "I'll get you out! Hang in there!"

"None of my Battle Chips are getting through!" Netto turned to his elder sibling after his PET had ejected the chip out from the slot once more. "And I can't plug X out manually! What should we do, Nii-san?"

"..." Hub narrowed his eyes. There was already a sinking suspicious forming at the back of his mind, but the boy still wasn't certain on it just yet. "...We don't have a choice. Zero and I will use Programme Advance and attack him with everything we've got."

" **...Hrn?"**  Desertman's eyes appeared to glow more crimson as soon as the sand Navi heard what Hub had said.  **"Fool! Are you telling me you're willing to risk your friend's life in return?"**  At this, the Navi let another rumble shake through the room, causing the quicksand to vibrate threateningly. X had gotten both his arms stuck in the sand at this point. The blue Navi was rapidly sinking, but he was still visible. For now.

"Nii-san!" Netto gave his elder sibling a look of shock and disbelief. "Are you really going to…?"

Hub didn't reply. Instead, the boy took out three Battle Chips. "Zero! Programme Advance!"

" **You fool!"**  Desertman roared.  **"You'll delete your friend, too!"**

"Nii-san!" Netto made a grab for Hub's PET out of panic. He couldn't believe it! Netto admittedly wasn't able to come up with a scenario where he could get X out of this mess alive, but that didn't mean Hub couldn't… Right? "Th… There has to be some other way!"

Hub had lifted his PET just above Netto's reach, but he did give his younger sibling a knowing grin. "Don't worry- Everything's going to be alright. I know what to do."

Netto paused. The boy was still clearly worried, but he trusted his elder sibling. The two of them had been looking after each other since he could remember, and though he was concerned, there was no reason to distrust the other now.

"Zero- Programme Advance!" Steading himself, Hub prepared to unleash their strongest attack. "Attack Battle Chip; Sword! Slot in!"

"Sword! Wide Sword!" The two swords were quickly form on both of Zero's arms, and the red Navi brought the two of them together as he received the data from the final chip. "Long Sword!"

" **You big idiot!"**  Seeing that Zero was going to attack him regardless, Desertman prepared a counter of his own.  **"Lion Head!"**

With a roar, the head of a lion emerged from the sand. Snarling, the lion head shot towards Zero, attempting to take a bite out of the red Navi before he could complete his Programme Advance. The crackling form of the Beta Sword manifested in Zero's hands, but instead of swinging it and unleashing the energy stored within, Zero leapt forward, stepping over the lion head and made a charge towards Desertman. The Navi clearly hadn't been expecting this unconventional use of Programme Advance, and wasn't able to move away as he was stabbed through the head by the Beta Sword.

" **Ghwwnn… Gwuuooooaaaar…!"**

In a bright flash of light, Desertman had exploded, the energy from the Beta Sword over charing his core and causing the Navi to implode on himself entirely. As Desertman was destroyed, the room appeared to return back to normal; The sand swiftly faded and the weird ominous pillars made of sand melted away. Zero grabbed onto X before the other Navi could hit the floor. "X!"

"I'm-" The Navi coughed. He was very much drained from the experience. "I'll be fine…"

" _The winners of this match have been decided!"_  The voice of the announcer blared out.  _"Those who have passed the trails of Hades Isel and may leave alive… Are these contestants!"_

With a click, Hub and Netto jumped back as they watched the two of their opponents abruptly vanishing from their sight, the fading sounds of screaming being heard. The two of them had saw this happen enough times now to know what was happening, but it was still slightly unnerving to them.

" _Those who remain… A final door will now open for you."_ The announcer said.  _"Enter through the door, and you shall find your escape from the island. But beware, if you ever dare return again…"_  The voice trailed off into laughter, and both Hikaris shivered at the sound.

"I guess that's the end of that…" Hub murmured.

"Nii-san." Netto turned to Hub. His tone was now curious. "Why did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"...Have Zero attack at such a close distance." Netto tilted his head. He was thankful that his elder brother had managed to pull them through the possibly fatal ordeal, but there was something that he didn't quite understand. "You saw what he did to X… What if he'd moved? You saw that Desertman could move through walls. If your attack had missed, he would've trapped Zero in that sand as well!"

"Ah." Hub nodded as he realized what Netto was asking. "Well, I only did that because I knew he wasn't going to be able to move out of the way."

"Huh?" That only made the younger of the two more confused. "What? How?"

"It really was just a suspicion in the beginning. "Hub shrugged as he explained. "I noticed that after he'd trapped X in his sand… He wasn't moving anymore. Even if he'd attacked, he'd always remained stationary… So I tried threatening him with the idea of getting hit by a Programme Advance to see if that would get him to move." The elder boy grinned at that. "But instead of doing so… He threatened that I would risk injuring X in the process. That was why I realized that he probably was incapable of moving, as long as he still had someone who wasn't completely absorbed yet in his sand."

"I see!" Netto was impressed- He hadn't even noticed such a thing!

"If he could easily move away like he did when X had shot him from afar, he wouldn't have made such a big deal about it." Hub reasoned. "The fact that he'd acted so nervous didn't really help, either."

"And that's why you were so confident about taking that risk!" Netto beamed. "Nii-san! You gotta teach me to see an opponent's weakness like you just did some time!"

"Maybe later." Hub agreed. "But right now, let's just go through the door and leave." They still have to recover from their match before the final rounds, and they needed to figure out what happened to Maylu and Roll. The two decided that they'll look into this on their way back from the island.


	171. Bad Omens 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I hope I manage to catch up on school work this semester. I do find a lot of the readings interesting and cool to read about, but I get tired from reading them real quickly. It's just not like reading fanfiction where I can burn through ten chapters and still read more. I guess that's what happens when you gotta take notes as you read along.

Things had returned to such monotony after he had returned from the mountainside that Forte might have been able to chalk up what happened up there as a fever dream when he woke up the next morning. He was back in his home, curled up comfortably in his bed just as the first rays of sunlight were beginning to seep in through the windows. He tossed and turned, and didn't hesitate to make his displeasure known when Cossack had pulled the curtains back on the windows.

"...Huh." The man mused as he peered out of the window. "How peculiar."

Forte stretched and yawned. Slouching over to his father and then proceeding to clamber up onto the coffee table to see what has the man so intrigued. All sleep left him the moment his eyes settled on the familiar figure standing about just outside.

"What the fuck." Forte whispered to himself.

It was the pokemon from yesterday; He had smeared something dark all over his coat of white fur, but there was not doubt in the mightyena's mind that he was the same pokemon he had encountered on the mountainside.

Cossack heard the whine coming from the mightyena, but completely misunderstood the reason behind it. "Are you two acquainted?" The man seemed surprised and genuinely curious. Forte wasn't known to be friendly around people, and much less so around pokemon. Not many of the other townsfolk had pokemon of their own, and the ones that do were probably too traumatized by their previous experiences to go anywhere near Forte. The fact that there was now another pokemon just perched outside of their home was interesting, to say the least.

Forte leapt off from the coffee table and made his way to the front door. He was going to teach the other pokemon a thing or two for humiliating him like he had, but Cossack had apparently misunderstood his motivation as well.

"Alright." Cossack smiled as he opened the door for him. "Play nice, okay?"

"..."

* * *

 

"Hey! What's the meaning of this?" Forte yelled as he approached the other. "I told you to scram!"

If the other was bothered by his apparent anger, he didn't show it. Instead, the other almost galloped towards him, nearly tripping over himself in haste. "Hi!"

Forte shoved him to the side just as he got close, his fur bristling. "Get lost. Don't touch me-" The mightyena paused briefly when he felt the weird, dry-ish texture on his palms as he pushed the other. Did… Did the other seriously smear charcoal all over himself?

The other pokemon tilted his head. "I was looking for you."

Forte scowled. "I don't care."

"But you're my mate."

"..." The statement was so sudden and absurd that Forte was almost certain there was a sarcastic remark of some sort that was supposed to follow. Instead, the other just continued to stare at him with such sincerity that Forte almost found himself questioning if he was still in the fever dream from yesterday. "What?"

"Aren't you?" The other asked.

"Of course I'm  _not!_ " Forte yelled.

"But…" The other actually had the gall to look confused. "We mated."

"That doesn't mean that I'm your mate!" Forte was now more baffled than anything. "I don't even know you?!"

"I'm Rockman." He said. As if that would answer Forte's question.

"..."

Maybe this was all part of the fever dream he had since yesterday. Maybe he'd wake up soon.

"I don't care about you, or whatever it is that you want." Forte scowled once more. "Get lost. Or I'll hurt you."

Rockman took a step back, but he still wasn't giving up. "...I might be pregnant with your litter."

"?!" It was Forte's turn to take a step back. "No, you're  _not!_ " Rockman looked and sounded male, and it was impossible for two males to have offspring… right?

"I… I might be." Rockman insisted. It was slightly scary, as it didn't look like he was lying, either. "I… I can have children with both males or females."

It took Forte a second to realize what Rockman had meant- No wonder the other's Attract had worked on him. Rockman was somehow both male and female at the same time.

"I don't care about you, or any litter you might have." Forte snarled. He was beginning to see what the other was attempting. "I'm not going to take you as my mate just because you might be pregnant after forcing yourself onto me. If you do end up having a child, you'll be raising it- Alone."

Rockman fell silent. He looked lost, as if he'd never actually considered the possibility that Forte might reject him. "...You said it was because you didn't know me, right?" He spoke after a while. "If you knew me, you might take me as your mate."

Forte rolled his eyes, but he couldn't say that Rockman wasn't persistent. "I highly doubt it."

"That's because you don't know me yet!" Rockman seemed to have made up his mind. He was beaming with energy once more. "We can be friends first- And then I can court you once we get to know each other!"

"What?!" Forte's fur bristled again. "You? Court  _me?!_ " What sort of ridiculous notion was that?

"It's what other pokemon do before becoming mates, right?" Rockman grinned. "So that's what I'll do! I'll come back tomorrow- We can be friends, and see where it goes from there!"

"That's not how it works!" Forte wanted to yell at him, but the other had already turned and ran off before the mightyena could even get half of his sentence out. Rockman was either being willfully ignorant, or painfully unaware, and Forte wasn't sure which was better or worse.

"...What's wrong with him…?" Forte wondered out loud, genuinely confused. Talking to the other pokemon was almost surreal in a sense. Deciding that he really didn't feel like thinking too much into it right now, Forte was about to return back to his home for a bit more of lazing around before he realized that a tiny group consisting of the town's pokemon had formed sometime during his interaction with Rockman, looking on with nosy interest.

"What are you looking at?!" Forte roared at them. The group dispersed instantly, and one of the younger pokemon was so frightened that they began crying as they fled the scene. Forte didn't feel too sorry for them- They should've known better than to go sticking their noses in another one's business!


	172. Bad Omens 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey, forgot to mention this last chapter, but if you're familiar with MMBN3, you'll know that there's a pretty iconic scene that's also going to be happening in LGOTN. I'm giving it a few more days for people to tell me whether they want Netto or Hub to be in the scene, since I can technically make either one of them work. I'm also doing this because it's been such a long time since I've written another spinoff for this story that I wanted to take a short break from the main plot. With that said, on with Bad Omens!

There was a light scratching coming from the front door as the next day rolled over. Forte heard it. He jumped up from where he was lying and bolted to the front door, but it was already too late. Cossack had opened the door and let Rockman in, the other pokemon still had a coat of charcoal smeared all over his back and face.

"Ah, you again." The man smiled; He had saw Forte's reaction with Rockman, and though it was clear that Forte had acted with hostility towards the other, Cossack had mistaken it for Forte's general unfriendliness. "Come in!"

"Dad, no!" Forte yelled. He really didn't feel like dealing with the other. Not after what had happened. Meanwhile, Rockman gave him an incredulous look.

"Did you just call a human-person your dad?" Rockman asked as he slipped in through the doorway and approached the mightyena.

Forte's fur bristled. He probably shouldn't have said that out loud in front of the other, but he had done so out of panic. "It's none of your business! And-" Forte paused for a moment, sticking a hand in Rockman's fur for confirmation, before retracting his hand and cringing. Somehow, the other had managed to apply an even thicker layer of dark charcoal all over his fur. "Why would you even do something like this? That's disgusting!" Forte raised his charcoal-covered palm to prove his point. "Leave and go and wash that off! You'll smear it all over the place!"

"I'm not going to wash my fur out…" Rockman pouted, then, in a softer voice, he continued. "Human-people don't like the colour of my pelt…"

"What?" Forte distinctly remembered Rockman to have white fur from their initial meeting. How that would translate to humans not liking the other's fur, Forte had no idea. In fact, he seemed to recall one of the children in the town having a ninetails as a companion, and the ninetails was generally adored by the rest of the townsfolk as well. "Are you sure it's not because you're so obnoxious?"

"I got beaten several times by human-people before because of it…" Rockman explained, frowning slightly. "I fell in a ditch once when I was running away from them. They don't seemed to mind me afterwards, so I think it's because of my fur."

"..."

Forte wanted to roll his eyes so badly. Was this some kind of sob-story that the other was telling to attempt to make him feel sorry for him? "That's great. I didn't ask for your life story."

"That's okay. I didn't come here for that, anyways." Rockman shrugged. "I came here because I wanted to be your friend!"

"Stop saying that!" Forte snarled. Ever since that day, Rockman seemed adamant about getting close to him, and he hadn't the slightest clue why! "What if I don't want to be your friend?"

"Why not?" Rockman asked. He seemed genuinely hurt this time.

"Because!" Forte couldn't remember the last time he was so frustrated. "You're psycho!"

"Forte!" The mightyena looked up in surprise when he heard his name called. Apparently, Cossack had heard him howling from all the way across the room. "Be nice!"

"Dad!" Forte blushed, feeling somewhat betrayed.

"..." Rockman, meanwhile, seemed to be considering his words. "...Okay. What do you think friends should be to not be psycho?"

Forte snorted. Unbelievable. "I can't believe you. It's obvious. They're-"

He trailed off suddenly, his mind drawing a complete blank. What  _were_  friends like? It couldn't be that hard to think of- He just had to recall what some of his friends were like.

And then, the mightyena realized that he didn't really seemed to have any friends within the town.

"W-well… They just aren't like you!" Forte's blush deepened. He might not have any friends, but he wasn't going to admit it out loud right in front of the other!

"Oh…"Rockman looked away, appearing thoughtful. "I see…"

"Now can you please leave me alone?" Forte sighed. He didn't know why, but he was already so exhausted just from talking to Rockman alone. The mightyena felt like he could probably head back to bed and fall asleep until late noon at this point.

"I- I might not know how to be your friend right now- But I can learn how!" Rockman said, and Forte wasn't sure if the other was trying to convince him or himself of that fact. "I… I've never really had many friends before, so I don't know much about making friends… But that doesn't mean I can't learn!" Rockman turned to Forte, looking directly at him. "So… Don't give up on me just yet, okay?"

"..."

Forte drew in a deep breath, both extremely annoyed and somewhat resigned. Why was Rockman so adamant about being his friend, anyways? As of yet, he had offered nothing but anger and verbal abuse towards the other, so why was Rockman still so fixated with him?

"Whatever." Forte said. "Just leave me alone."

"I'll take that as a yes." Rockman insisted. He had his usual smile on his face once more. "Okay. I'll leave you alone now- I'll come see you again later!"

With that, he went over to the front door, scratching at it to show that he wanted to be let out now.

"Goodbye, dad!" Rockman said as Cossack opened the door for him. "I'll see you later, too!"

Forte's fur bristled once more upon hearing that. "He's not your dad!"

"He will be." Rockman puffed up his chest in confidence. "My dad in law."

" _FUCK OFF!"_


	173. Bad Omens 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey, so it's National Day tomorrow! You probably don't celebrate National Day in the west, but we get a day off for it, though I heard in the mainland, they get an entire week off. The mainland tends to get a lot of weeks off from Chinese holidays, but that's probably because they don't celebrate western holidays like halloween or christmas, but we do, so they can afford to take the extra days off.

It was actually a week before Forte saw Rockman again. The other's prolonged absence had made him lax, and was completely caught off guard when Rockman had ambushed him as he was out during that day.

"Hi, Forte!" Rockman beamed.

' _Oh my fucking god.'_  Rockman must have learnt his name from the last time they met.

"Don't even think about touching me." Forte hissed when he felt Rockman come up next to him. He knew the other was bound to be covered in charcoal, and he didn't want any of it to get smeared onto him.

Rockman pouted, but relented. He settled down next to the mightyena and made himself comfortable. "What're you looking at?"

"..." Maybe if he ignored him enough, the other would go away.

Unfortunately, his silence didn't have the desired effect. Rockman followed his gaze, then gasped when he saw what Forte had been observing. "Human-children!" Rockman was almost squealing as he said this. "They're adorable!"

"They're a bunch of little monsters." Forte snorted. He still remembered the trouble one of the brats had gotten him into, and though Forte supposed that it was perhaps somewhat petty of him to hold such a grudge on a child, he was just so… so salty about it.

Rockman turned to him, the other pokemon tilting his head briefly in thought. "...I don't think you actually mean that."

Forte gave him a look. "And what makes you think you know what I think?"

"I don't?" Rockman said, giving his tail a small flick. "I just don't think you're being honest when you say that human-children are a bunch of little monsters."

"How so?" Forte frowned. He didn't think he'd shown anything other than contempt for those humans brats.

"Because. You're watching over them." Rockman smiled, shrugging. "If you really thought that they were just a bunch of monsters, you wouldn't have bothered. I remembered when you think I was going to hurt those human-children. You got so worried." At this, the other pokemon closed his eyes, placing both hands at the sides of his face, getting giddy at the thought. "It was so endearing! You were so cute!"

Forte's fur bristled. He couldn't believe it. The mightyena had never once been called anything remotely similar to that! "I'm not cute!" He yelled, somewhat flustered. "And I'm only watching them so I don't get blamed when they get themselves killed! Human children are so stupid!"

"Suuure." Forte nearly didn't resist the urge to hit Rockman over the head at his shit-eating grin. "You can act all scary on the outside, but on the inside, you're nothing but a big softie!"

"You're wrong!" Forte shoved Rockman away, the other merely laughing at his reaction. "Shut up!"

His laughter gradually trailed off, and Rockman looked back to where the group of human children were- They appeared to be skipping stones across the river. "One… Two… Three… Four…" Forte twitched as he heard the other pokemon whisper, probably counting the number of times the stone bounced on top of the water. "I want five, too!"

Forte frowned. Five? Five what?

Man, the other was so weird.

"Hey, Forte?" Rockman had spoke up again after a short while of silence. "Is your dad really your dad? You still hadn't told me."

"What does that have to do with anything?" The mightyena had already made it clear it wasn't any of the other's business whether Cossack was his actual father or not. "And why do you want to know so badly, anyways?"

"...I meant what I said about getting to know each other, Forte." Rockman's voice had gotten slightly quieter, but he seemed sincere. "I know we got off on the wrong foot, and I get that you're still upset with me because of it…" The other pokemon rubbed the side of his arms, fidgeting slightly. "But I still want us to at least be friend. I… I thought about what you said last time, and I want to start by getting to know you better, first."

Forte raised an eyebrow. "And what if I don't want to tell you about my family?" He still didn't understand the other's insistence on being his friend, but he didn't owe Rockman anything.

"...I guess I would understand if you aren't comfortable with telling me." Rockman looked away. "Uh, I can tell you about mine, first, if that would make you feel more comfortable with it."

"Please don't." Forte really didn't feel like sitting through some sort of hour-long fluff piece, especially coming from the other.

"It's okay. There's not much to talk about, anyways." Rockman gave him a small smile. "I don't recall much about him. I remembered him being really nice. He took care of me, but he got lost one day." Rockman gave a short laugh at that. "I hope he's okay, wherever he is now."

"..."

Forte hadn't been expecting that. The mightyena felt a tiny bit sorry for the other pokemon now. The idiot had gotten abandoned by his father and didn't even realize it. That being said, however, Forte also felt somewhat impressed. The way Rockman had said it, the other pokemon couldn't even be anywhere near self-sufficient before his father had abandoned him, and Forte hadn't the slightest clue how Rockman, with all of his obliviousness, was able to fend for himself and survive into Forte had never been really involved in it, the mightyena did know that the pokemon world outside of human society was extremely harsh and unforgiving. It had to be some sort of amazing stroke of luck that Rockman seemed to have made it out of it relatively alright.

"A-anyways… It was nice spending time with you." Rockman had clasped his hands together, tail twitching somewhat nervously. "I'll see you around, okay? It was really nice talking to you, Forte. I really enjoyed it."

Forte raised an eyebrow. He wasn't complaining, but he was so used to Rockman only leaving him alone once he'd sufficiently screamed and yelled at the other that he was surprised once more. "Whatever."

The mightyena watched as the other pokemon got up, dusted himself off and began to leave.

"I don't know much about my real father, either." Forte said suddenly after Rockman had taken several steps, the other turning back around, startled and somewhat confused.

"I know Cossack isn't my real dad." Forte clarified. He wasn't completely ignorant. As far as he or anyone was concerned, there was no way that humans can produce pokemon children. "But he's the one who raised me. He took care of me, ever since I can remember. That's why he's my dad."

Several emotions shot through Rockman's eyes. There was the initial surprise that Forte was actually telling him this, the moment of sadness after hearing what Forte had said, and then the look of hope on his face that Forte wasn't sure was about.

"...Thanks for trusting me enough to tell me about this, Forte!" Though he was still somewhat shaken by the sudden change of events, Rockman was beaming once more. "I know you still don't like me a lot… But I can be a good companion! I promise!"

"Yeah, yeah." Forte rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Now leave me alone."

"I will! And I'll see you soon!" With that, Rockman flicked his tail, and Forte watched as he ran back towards the mountainside, disappearing off into the distance.

* * *

Padded foot trotted across the ground matted with dirt and fallen leaves, the motion quick, but not hurried. Briefly, the figure raised its head, gauging the distance he had traveled, wrinkling his nose when he realized just how far the other had ran.

He was slightly insulted that the other would go so far, to put so much distance in between them just to get away from him, but that mattered little. Now that he knew where the other had gone, it was only just a matter of time before he found him again.


	174. Chapter 147

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: We'll be heading back briefly to the main story now. Also, I might go on another brief hiatus, because the camp that we originally had planned two weeks prior got delayed to this weekend, so I'd probably won't have the time to write for this story. Several arguments kind of started among our group of friends, but I hope the event will still turn out okay.

Netto and Hub arrived at the dock once they reached the end of the hallway. Taking a look around, the two Hikari twins realized that this was where the rest of the remaining competitors were going to be transported back to the dock where they'd departed from.

"Hey, look!" Netto noticed a familiar figure among the group. He began running and yelling to get the figure's attention long before he had reached him. "Enzan!"

The elder boy paused mid step, frowning when he saw the person approaching him. "Huh. You again." Then, the white-haired boy shifted his gaze to the side, and caught sight of the other boy behind Netto. "And your brother as well. I should have figured."

"Haha." Netto was only laughing half-sarcastically. He'd gotten used to Enzan's cold behavior. Netto knew that it wasn't that Enzan actually despised him or anything. Enzan just didn't outwardly show his emotions or enthusiasm in the same way that he did. "I knew you'd make it through this round of eliminations. Good luck in the quarter-finals!"

"I don't need luck to win." Enzan snorted. "But I supposed if I would wish the same for you if I did."

Netto laughed, brushing Enzan's apparent lack of concern aside. Hub had walked up next to them at this point.

"Enzan, it's good to see you." Hub smiled. "I knew you wouldn't have any trouble with the competition so far."

"I would hope that the same was true for you two- It would be an extremely disappointing finale to this tournament otherwise." Enzan mused, regarding Hub closely. "In fact, I was hoping that I would be facing you this time for the finale."

Both of the twins paused. Netto turned to Hub, while the elder was still surprised by what Enzan was telling him. "Huh…?"

"I've fought your younger sibling once in the previous N1 before." Enzan gave Netto a look. "I'll admit, his unorthodox way of net battling caught me off guard, but I was hoping that I would get to battle someone who actually knows what they're doing instead of just relying on blind instinct and desperation." The white-haired boy shrugged at this. "If I had to be completely honest, I was actually somewhat disappointed when I heard you hadn't made it to the finals in the original tournament."

"H-hey!" Netto immediately got flustered by the less-than-standard way Enzan had described his style of net battling. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Hub just looked away, blushing slightly. Underneath all of the snarky remarks and cool sarcasm, there was something that remotely resembled that of a compliment that Hub wasn't quite used to receiving, especially coming from the other boy.

"Uh… Th-thanks?" Hub quickly shook his embarrassment aside. "I- I actually wanted to ask you about something."

Enzan raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"I was wondering if you've seen Maylu." Hub asked. Then, quickly realizing that the other boy might not know who Maylu was, he added. "She's a girl around our age. With reddish hair. And she's Roll's operator."

"Is she one of your friends?" Enzan frowned. He didn't seem particularly concerned about Maylu, but he did appear to think about what Hub had said. "No, I can't say I've seen a girl, or any girl like that." Then, as if he was incapable of refraining himself from sneaking in a snarky remark, the white-haired boy added. "If you don't see her on the boat ride back, though, it's probably safe to assume that she'd lost this round of eliminations."

The two Hikari twins gave each other a look. They'd been fearing that.

"S-say… Enzan, what do you think happened to those contestants that lost their net battles?" Netto's tone grew worried. The question had been nagging at the back of his mind since the first round of eliminations on Hades Isle. "You… You don't think they've actually been sent to burn forever in hell fire underneath the island, do you…?"

"What?" Enzan's calm demeanor had cracked for a second. The white-haired boy looked at Netto as if the younger boy had just done something completely outrageous. "Are you stupid? Of course they weren't!"

"Then what you do think happened?" Netto was still slightly uncertain.

"They were probably dropped into a secret compartment and then escorted from the arena!" Enzan rolled his eyes. "Seriously Hikari, did you think that net battlers actually got dropped into a furnace just because they lost a match?"

"...Oh." Netto slapped the side of his face. Now that Enzan had said it, he supposed that  _did_  make a lot more sense than people being sent to burn forever in fire. It was just that the announcer had made it sound so real…

"I guess that would mean they're probably back on the dock in Electopia waiting for us right now?" Hub pondered out loud.

"Probably." Enzan crossed his arms. "...Hey. Don't look at me like that. It's not like I know what goes on behind the scenes in this tournament." The white-haired boy scowled when he saw the worried look on Hub's face. "Look. If you want to know if your friend's alright, you can get on the boat and find them once we reach Electopia- Just stop looking all worried at me."

"I…" Hub turned back to his younger sibling.

"...I guess there's nothing else we can do about it, Nii-san." Netto sighed. "Like I said- No use worrying over something that we don't even know yet, right? Maybe Maylu and Roll are completely okay and we're just overthinking this."

Hub nodded. "I hope you're right…" Then, before they went ahead and boarded the boat, Hub looked back toward Enzan, smiling. "Hey, thanks anyways. I hope we'll have a chance to net battle each other during one of the final rounds in the tournament."

"...Hmph." Enzan looked away. "Just try not to embarrass yourself and lose too badly."

"Hey!" Though Netto could handle the other boy's cold attitude towards himself, it somehow irked him when that same attitude was directed at his elder sibling. "You don't even know how the match will turn out! And you're wrong! Nii-san will totally beat your ass!"

Hub just laughed. Much like Netto, he'd realize that Enzan really didn't mean anything by it, and it was just how he was used to interacting with other people. He took his younger sibling's hand. "Come on Netto-kun, let's go!"


	175. Chapter 148

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I might be taking a week-long hiatus after this chapter. Aside from preparing for the camp, Megaman 11 comes out tomorrow for us, and it's actually going to be my first Megaman game ever. I'm not really a gamer or anything, so I've always been more into the anime and manga. I could have skipped Megaman 11, too, but I decided to give it a try to see what the hype behind Megaman 11 is all about.

Two problems quickly made themselves apparent once both Netto and Hub had returned to Electopia. As they had expected, those that had been eliminated during the trails of Hades Isle had already docked, and were being interviewed on their afterthoughts of the tournament. However, the two twins were quick to notice that Maylu was nowhere to be seen.

Crossing his fingers, Hub asked Zero to initiate a video call with Maylu to see if their friend was indeed alright. Roll had accepted the call, and aside from seeming somewhat bothered, the Navi appeared fine. Zero breathed a sigh of relief knowing that Maylu had most likely seen what was happening, and decided to plug her Navi out to avoid deletion, even though by doing so she would be forfeiting the match entirely.

"...I'm fine. Nothing's happened to me, thanks to Maylu-chan." Roll murmured, rubbing the side of her arm. Zero can understand her distant attitude somewhat- Aside from still being disappointed with the two twins and them for keeping secrets, the pink Navi was probably still shaken by what she'd saw when fighting Desertman. Zero could just barely suppress a shiver when he recalled how the Normal Navi had been deleted, and how close X had been to suffering the same fate.

"That's good." Zero nodded. "...What about Maylu? We haven't seen or heard from her for a while. Is she alright?"

"..." Roll looked to the side. "...Maylu-chan is fine. She just accidentally sprained her ankle when she fell from the arena."

"What?" Netto poked his head over when he heard this. "How did that happen? Is she alright?"

Roll didn't answer immediately. "...I don't know how it happened. Neither of us were expecting it when we were dropped through the trap door."

"Can… can I talk to her?" Netto knew that the girl had to be still mad at him, but he wanted to at least offer. He didn't want to seem like he didn't care just because they had a fight with each other.

"It's alright. Maylu-chan is doing fine right now. She's at Sea Side Hospital, and there's doctors making sure that she okay." Roll was quick to shake her head no. "Please, don't worry about us."

'Wh- Hey!" Netto panicked slightly as Roll cut off the video feed. Was it really that bad that he wanted to show concern? "Come on…"

"I guess she's still upset." Hub laughed, somewhat humourlessly. He turned to his younger sibling. "We'll go visit her in the hospital later. Right now, what are you doing to do about X?"

That was the second problem. The final rounds of the tournament were being held directly after the trials of Hades Isle, and though both of of their Navies had had the opportunity to rest and recover in their PETs, X still hadn't fully recovered. The blue Navi had sustained too much extensive damage, and it would require a lot more time before he could regain his strength. Time that neither of them really had with the final rounds of the tournaments drawing close.

"..." Netto was quiet for a moment, the younger of the two seriously considering this matter. "...I think I might just have to sit this one out, Nii-san."

Hub frowned. He knew how important the tournament was to his younger sibling, and have to withdraw from it because of something he really didn't have much control over… "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure, Nii-san." Netto nodded. "I know what's important. X isn't in any condition to fight right now, and it wouldn't be right of me to continue on in this tournament, especially if it meant I would be putting him in danger just for the chance to win some tournament."

Hub was taken aback by the sudden maturity coming from his younger sibling. This was the exact same reason that Hub had for forfeiting the first N1- When it came down to it, Zero was much more important than winning any tournament, but he didn't expect Netto to come to the same conclusion himself. He would have expected to have to ask Netto to think through it carefully and not to do anything he would regret.

Perhaps his younger sibling was growing up already…?

"Alright, if you're sure." Hub smiled, pushing the thought aside- Why did he think that? He was only moments older than Netto himself! "Remember, there's always a next time in these tournaments, okay?"

"I got it already, jeez!" Netto grinned. "There's only minutes before they begin the finals- You better get to the arena quick, Nii-san! I'll be cheering you on, okay?"

"You better be!" Hub laughed. "I'm off, then!"

"..." As Hub left, X couldn't help himself. He knew how much Netto had been looking forward to winning the tournament, and to have that opportunity taken away from it just because of X's own negligence, the blue Navi felt guilty, and at least some part responsible for it. "Netto-kun… I'm so sorry…"

"What are you talking about?" Netto took out his PET, looking at the Navi inside of it. "I would have been the one sorry if I got you deleted just because I wanted to win some tournament!" Though NetNavies were technically just programmes strung together by series of coding, the deletion of one's own NetNavi isn't something anyone wanted. Though it was possible to reconstruct a NetNavi's frame or duplicate the frame as a backup, the key data of a NetNavi's was much more complex. The original set of key data could be backed up, much like the frame, but the memory and personality data stored within the key data itself tended to change and evolve over time, which meant that it could potentially alter itself to the point where it was completely unrecognizable from its original iteration. The reconstruction of a Net Navi's key data was made even more difficult by the fact that once damaged, it was near impossible to salvage or repair. Even if someone were to revive their NetNavi using their original frame and key data, their Navies would just… no longer be the same anymore.

"...I understand…" X sighed, looking away. "But, I still feel sorry about it…"

"That's alright- You can't expect something like this to happen to someone and then for them to not be bummed out about it, right?" Netto replied. He was being honest that he did feel that it was a bit of a shame that they wouldn't be able to compete in the N2 anymore, but he still maintained the fact that his Navi was more important to him than winning. "But right now, we have to get to the stand quick to cheer for Nii-san!"

"Alright." X was still bothered, but he was feeling slightly better knowing that his operator wasn't mad about it. Just as Netto was about to switch of the screen of the PET and allow it to go into sleep mode however, the device began beeping.

"Huh? This is…" X was surprised as well. "...Netto-kun, someone's attempting to initiate a video call with us!"

"A video call?" That got Netto's attention. "Is… Is it Maylu-chan?"

"...I don't think so…" X frowned slightly. "It's anonymous. And I can't trace back the location from where this call is coming from." Then, in a more concerned tone, he continued. "Should… Should I put the call through…?"

"...Yeah, go ahead and put them through." Netto said. Whoever it is, they couldn't possible hurt him through a video call, right?

Nodding, X accepted the call, and the moment they saw who was on the other side of the screen, X gasped, and Netto nearly dropped his PET.


	176. Bad Omens 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm back my boiyos. Last week was hectic, with us preparing for a ton of stuff for events, going to camp, and then doing two hour's worth of Wotage dancing. My back and arms hurt, and I can't lift anything, but it was fun. I missed writing for you guys, though. With that being said, on with the story!

There was another series of scratching at the door the next day. By now, Forte was already expecting Rockman to be on the other side of it, so the mightyena was surprised when the door swung open, and he saw an entirely different pokemon on the other side of it. He stare at the ninetales in bafflement, and then squinted. He knew who this pokemon was- This was Mamoru's companion. The boy's father had been worried about the child's weak heart, and had given him the ninetales as a companion, so that he can make sure there was at least someone looking after the boy when he was away. Still, the other pokemon's name escaped Frote. What was it again…?

"So." The ninetales crossed his arms, flicking on of his many tails in agitation. "When are you going to get rid of him?"

Forte blinked. Ah. Serenade. That was it.

"What are you talking about?" Forte frowned. Wasn't Serenade supposed to be looking after his human brat, anyways? "Who are we getting rid of?"

"Who else?" Serenade appeared unusually anxious about it. "That absol that keeps on visiting you. You really should be doing something about him."

A pokemon that has been giving him repeated visits? The other could only mean Rockman.

"Trust me. I want him gone as well, but he just keeps coming back." Forte snorted. The other was nothing if not persistent, but it was Rockman's insistent on getting close to him that the mightyena was finding increasingly annoying.

"Then why aren't you doing anything about him?" Serenade question him.

"I am." Forte had told Rockman to leave him alone multiple times prior. It wasn't his fault that the other didn't seem too keen on listening to him.

"No, you're not!" Serenade's tails flared up, the air around him almost boiling in an instant. "You're not doing anything! He's just going to keep on coming back unless you actually do something about him!"

Forte raised an eyebrow. "Why are you so concerned about this, anyways?" It wasn't as if Serenade was affected by this. To his knowledge, Rockman wasn't bothering anyone other than himself. So why did Serenade seem so concerned about the other pokemon coming around their town?

"Forte. Listen to me." Serenade hissed. "I don't know what you're thinking, but you don't want him anywhere near the town." The ninetales explained, his tails swishing around in an unnerving manner. "I wouldn't care if it were any other pokemon, but I don't want Mamoru to get hurt. I don't care what you do, just make sure he doesn't come back."

Forte just stared. Mamoru getting hurt? How? "What are you talking about?"

"...Forte?"

The mightyena looked to where the new voice had come from, surprised. Rockman was approaching the two talking pokemon. He was still smeared in charcoal like all the other times Forte had saw him, though his gaze was curious, worried and hesitant all at the same time as he made his way towards him and Serenade. Seeing the subject of their conversation appear, Serenade narrowed his eyes. Giving Forte one last glare, the ninetales turned and left, Rockman quickly taking his place in front of Forte once the other pokemon was gone.

"Who was that just now, Forte…?" Rockman asked, and Forte resisted the urge to scowl. The mightyena really wasn't in the mood to be questioned by other pokemon, one after another.

"Just some other pokemon in the town." Forte said. It was more or less the truth.

Rockman's tail twitched. He frowned and bit his lips. It was clear that he wasn't quite happy with that answer. "...Do you like him?"

"?"

Forte was dumbfounded. Rockman's question had been so sudden and absurd, Forte couldn't even begin to guess how the other pokemon had ended up with that question- What does him liking anyone had to do with anything? "Does it matter?"

"Yes it does!" Rockman took a step forward, and Forte tensed, the mightyena still had no idea what the other pokemon was thinking. "I don't want you to fall in love with anyone else!"

"?!"

Forte would have laughed if he hadn't interracted with Rockman long enough to know that the other pokemon was entirely serious when he said this. What did it matter who he liked or not? And even if it did, did Rockman seriously think he could control who Forte liked?

Disbelief and anger flared up in him. "And who do you suppose I should fall in love with? You?"

"If you would- Then I would like you to!" Rockman insisted.

"You're crazy!" Forte snarled. "Completely outrageous!"

"What is it that you don't like about me?" Rockman yelled after him just as Forte attempted to retreat back into his home. It was obvious that the other was getting desperate.

"Nothing- I just don't like you. Isn't that enough?" Forte turned back, giving the other a glare.

"..."

Rockman was quiet for a moment. The other pokemon looked so lost and confused, and there was a second that Forte suspected that Rockman was shaking, as if he was scared. It was almost pitiful.

Almost.

"...Is it because of how I look…?" Rockman said as he wiped the smears of charcoal from his face with his palm. "Do you think I'm ugly?"

Forte frowned, trying to figure out how the other had come to such a conclusion this time. He supposed it did make some sort of sense this time around- Serenade just had that sort of elegance and grace surrounding him. It would be difficult not to feel insecure if one were to compare themselves to him, appearance speaking.

"...I can be like how you want to." Rockman insisted. "Wait for me, Forte. Please don't fall in love with anyone else yet, okay?"

Then, without giving Forte a chance to reply, Rockman ran back to where he came from, leaving the mightyena confused as to what had just happened.


	177. Chapter 149

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So I have a test tomorrow that I've only studied about 40% for. I was banking on the fact that we'll be given an IPA chart so I don't have to memorize shit but apparently we'll be getting a BLANK one. So I still have to memorize it. Fuck.

Hub could heard the roaring of the crowd long before he even set foot into into the stadium. Once he reached the end of the hallway and out into the open battle dome, the boy saw the massive crowd of audience cheering in anticipation for the upcoming battle. Hub's heart was pounding in his chest, and the boy had to take a deep breath to steady himself. If his memory was accurate, there should only be around four other net battlers left still in the tournament. He was so close to the finals, and if he could win the following few matches, it was very possible that he would even have a chance at winning the N2.

"I hope you're not getting stage fright right now." Zero said jokingly from his PET. "I still need you to operate me during the next net battle!"

"I'm not backing out of anything!" Hub insisted. He was still shaking, but the boy forced himself to walk forwards towards where the battle sphere was elevated on the stage. "I'm just… really nervous. That's all."

"It's alright. I am, too." Zero smiled. "But whether win or lose, we'll be sure to do it together."

Hub nodded. Noticing that his opponent had not yet arrived, Hub looked towards the far end of the stadium, where the opposite entrance was supposedly located. "I wonder who we'll be battling next…" He wondered out loud. There was a moment of silent anticipation, before Hub gasped, and the crowd went wild with cheers once more.

"Who is it?" Zero asked. The Navi couldn't see what was happening very well from his PET.

"It's Enzan." The surprise was apparent in Hub's voice as the boy looked at the familiar figure approaching the stage. "We'll be battling him and Blues."

"Blues and Enzan?" It was clear that Zero hadn't been expecting that, either. The Navi's voice then turned somewhat suspicious. "So soon…?"

Hub didn't reply, but he understood what his Navi had meant. Throughout the entirety of the N2, every aspect of the tournament was designed to keep viewers tuned into the N2 for as long as they possible could, from the unique story aspect of the N2, to the different arenas, and the competitors for each battle, everything was clearly thought through and planned out to keep people watching for as long as they possibly could.

"Maybe they didn't hadn't expected Netto-kun and X to withdraw…?" Hub mused out loud. Being the finalists of the previous N1, Hub was willing to bet that the producers would do anything in their power to try and recreate the same atmosphere of suspect and anticipation, before allowing the two boys to battle each other on stage. But now that Netto-kun and X won't be advancing in the tournament, perhaps that had messed with the producers' original plan quite a bit.

"I don't think it's that, though." Zero frowned. Being Hub's Net Navi, he understood the boy's though clearly. "With how well Blues and Enzan are doing in the tournament, they'll be sure to sweep through the rest of the competition in no time after this match! What's there to watch after that?"

Hub couldn't quite stifle his own laughter upon hearing Zero's words. "You sure have a lot of faith in our net battling abilities!" What's to make sure that the same fate won't befall them as the rest of the competition?

"Well, I wouldn't say that we're the best at net battling, but given the current circumstances?" Zero shrugged. "I'd like to think that we stand the most chances of defeating Blues and Enzan."

"Alright, then." Hub smiled. "I hope you're right."

" _After two months of waiting, the end of the second N1 Grand Prix is finally in sight! Those who had fought valiantly and passed through trial after trial now stand before you, ready to fight for the title of champion of the N1 Grand Prix!"_  The announcer said once Enzan had stepped onto the stage as well.  _"But who will end up victorious? We'll soon find out!"_

"I don't expect to see you so soon." Enzan said, taking out his PET once he reached the Battle Sphere. "I hope you've gotten stronger since the last tournament. Otherwise, this would be a painfully short battle."

"Don't worry!" Hub wasn't too affected by the other boy's supposed aloofness. "Zero and I have definitely gotten much stronger since last time- Isn't that right, Zero?"

"Right!" Zero nodded.

"Hmph." A small grin tugged at the other boy's lips. 'If that's the case, then guess I wouldn't feel too bad about going all out on you." With that, Enzan took the PET's cable in his hand. "Plug in, Blues! Transmission!"

"We'll be sure to put up the good fight!" Taking out his PET, Hub did the same and plugged Zero into the Battle Sphere. "Plug in, Rockman Zero! Transmission!"

On the screen projecting the arena from within the Battle Dome, the audience once again cheered wildly as they saw both Zero and Blues entered onto the battle stage, this one seemed more like the traditional stage that were commonly seen in arcades, and not like the gimmick or themed ones that were seen throughout the rest of the tournament. This time, the battle stage would no longer have any effect on either Navies' performance. It was a battle to see who was more skilled or strong enough to come out on top.

"I was more expecting to see that blue companion of yours this time around." Blues said as he summoned his sword. The Navi appeared to have noticed X and Netto's absence from the stadium.

"There'll be plenty of chances for a rematch later on." Zero grinned, also drawing his blade and giving it a light swing in front of him. "Right now, I want to battle the Navi who's managed to defeat X in the past."

"Is that so?" The other Navi didn't say it, but he sounded amused. He hadn't noticed any dissimilarities between the two Navies aside from their appearance and their preferred method of battling, but the other Navi seemed to be just realizing the slight differences in Zero and X's attitude as well. "I hate to ruin the surprise, but you'll lose."

"Talk is cheap." Zero didn't seem fazed at all by the other's taunt. "We'll prove who's the better Navi through battle!"

" _Battle start!"_

With that, both Navies lunged at each other, their swords colliding with a loud clashing sound, marking the beginning of their battle.


	178. Bad Omens 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The teacher gave us a study guide, but the actual things asked in the test was way off from the study guide itself. I feel so betrayed.

_Thu-kunk!_

Forte's eyes snapped open, the mightyena jerking awake instantly. He looked towards the window, where a sliver of silver light was seeping through the seams between the curtains. Forte's ears twitched, and he narrowed his eyes when he picked up the slight hint of swaying from the curtains. That wasn't right. The windows were supposed to be closed. When had they opened?

Cautiously, Forte walked towards the opened window. Making sure that there wasn't anyone else just hiding out of his sight on the other side of the window, Forte leapt through the frame and onto the porch below.

He took a moment to steady himself, shaking the sleep from his limbs. Then, he noticed the form of a figure standing not too far from him, its shape slightly hidden by the tall grass surrounding it. Forte snarled, his claws itching. "Who's there?"

Slowly, the figure walked out from within the grass, Forte's eyes gradually adjusting to the dim light underneath the moon, and recognized the pokemon approaching him to be Rockman, though another look told him that there was definitely something different about him this time around. For one, the other was no longer covered in a thick coat of charcoal. Rockman had washed all of it off, and now his fur was just as white as the first time Forte had saw him. In fact, Rockman's mane appeared to be shining underneath the dim moonlight, and as he got even closer, Forte noticed the tightly knit flower crown made of red and pale petals laid precariously on the other's head.

Forte only raised his eyebrows as he watched Rockman walk with such a tediously elegant stride that it couldn't possibly be natural or comfortable for him. Then, once he was near, Rockman looked up at him, meeting his gaze for an instant before adverting his own shyly.

"...S-so…?" Rockman's voice was soft as he spoke. "...How do I look?"

"..."

_Thwack!_

"Ow!" Rockman brought his hands up, clutching the back of his head. The flower crown had fell in pieces onto the ground from where Forte had hit him. "Forte!"

Forte ignored Rockman's apparent distress. "You want to know how I think you look?" The mightyena snorted, making his displeasure as clear as possible. "Fine. You look fake and cheap. There."

" _Forte!_ " Rockman actually sounded hurt. "But I-"

He yelped when Forte struck him again, this time bringing his hand down and slapping him on his forehead.

"Let me finish." Forte huffed, rolling his eyes. "Look. You looked absolutely ridiculous with how you were covering yourself with all that charcoal. It was gross and filthy. But this?" The mightyena gestured to the ring of flowers on the ground. "This is just pathetic."

Rockman stared at him, his lips quivering. "...I just wanted you to like me…"

"Well, it didn't work." Forte looked away. "Prettying yourself up for affection? It's fake and dishonest. It's almost disgusting how insecure you are."

"..."

There was a long moment of prolonged silence, and out of the corner of his eye, Forte saw Rockman bowing his head. Setting his gaze upon the other once more, the mightyena noted that the other pokemon was shaking. Then, he heard the distinct sound of a small sniffle.

Forte tensed.  _'Shit! Don't tell me-'_

" _Aaaah!_ " Rockman had gone from absolutely quiet to wailing in an instant. He held himself, shaking his head as he began to cry.

"Oh my god! Why are you crying?!" Forte's fur bristled. The mightyena was panicking internally. Having been the cause of distress for many of the town's children, Forte was no stranger to seeing others crying, but this was different. It was very possible that Rockman's crying might begin to wake some of the townspeople up if he didn't stop it soon, but the mightyena was much less experienced in this regard. "Shut up! Stop crying!"

His words didn't have the desired effect. Rockman just flinched underneath his gaze and sobbed harder.

"Okay, okay. Shh." Reaching a hand forward, Forte patted Rockman's head, attempting to mimic how Kalinka had held him when he had been younger. "Calm down. Look at me."

Though somewhat hesitant, Rockman raised his head. Forte sighed when he saw the tears streaming down the other's face. "...Look. If I have to be honest, I would prefer it if you were your usual annoying self around me."

Rockman sniffed and hiccuped, only somewhat succeeding in stopping himself from crying as he attempted to get his words out. "Wh… What…?"

"...I'll admit it. You were insufferable and annoying, for sure." Forte glanced away briefly, feeling somewhat embarrassed for having to admit this. "But no matter how infuriating you were, it's much better than you trying to suck up to me- Okay?"

"Y… You mean-" Rockman coughed, then sniffed, trying to calm himself enough to speak without having to sob in between words. "Y-you liked me better… before?"

"I found you less insufferable then." Forte admitted. "Come on. Stop making such a big deal out of this. Being disliked isn't the end of the world."

"B-but…" Rockman took a deep breath, finally wiping the last drops of tears from his eyes. "I just, really, really want a mate who would like me back…"

"Why are you so insistent on that, anyways?" Forte was genuinely confused. Ever since the first time they had met, the mightyena knew that Rockman seemed insistent to get him to settle with him as a mate, though he never really knew the reason for such persistence.

"Well... " Rockman looked away, his behavior turning, seemingly bashful. "B-because… I wanted to feel how they feel."

Forte raised an eyebrow, confused. "What?"

"I… I've seen mated couples many times before, during mating season." There was a soft blush on his face as Rockman elaborated. "And I… I don't know what it is, but there's this warmth that's radiating from them, when I see them together, raising a family." The pokemon closed his eyes, cupping his cheeks with both hands as he smiled softly. "I, I wanted to feel that warmth, too. I want a mate so I can experience that feeling, too!"

"..."

Forte wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. He wanted to laugh and berate the other pokemon for treating something as superficial as having a mate as some form of ultimate happiness, but the mightyena held his tongue. He didn't want a repeat of the other pokemon crying, and seeing just how sincere Rockman appeared to be about it, he somehow couldn't find it in himself to make fun of the other for it.

"...Why me, though?" Forte couldn't help but ask. There were plenty of other fish in the sea if all Rockman wanted was a mate, but the other seemed absolutely convinced that the mightyena would be his.

"It just has to be." Rockman met his gaze, puffing his chest up confidently.

"But why?" Forte was still confused.

"Because! I just know it's you!" Rockman was beaming once more. "I know you don't like me the same way that I like you, but I can wait for you. Just don't hate me, okay?"

"Please don't come up with any other schemes." Forte cringed, remembering how his first encounter with Rockman had ended. "I wouldn't like that at all."

"I… I understand!" Rockman gave him a nod. "I, I don't know how… But I'll try to get you to like me for me! No tricks!"

Forte nodded. "No tricks."

With that, he watched Rockman retreat back into the tall grass, quickly disappearing into the darkness. For some reason, the mightyena felt as if he might have just understood the other pokemon just a tiny bit better.


	179. Chapter 150

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: If I can stop falling sick every two days that would be great.

"Elec Sword!"

"Flame Sword!"

The two Navies in the Battle Sphere clashed together once more. This time, it was Zero's Elec Sword against Blues' Flame Sword.

"Heh." Blues was grinning, as if amused by the situation. "Not bad."

Zero wasn't fazed by his opponent's lack of concern. If anything, the red Navi had long been itching for a good fight with the other Navi. "Same to you."

Quickly parrying Zero's attack, Blues went in on the offensive, waving his sword in several quick successions. Instead of his attack connecting and slashing the other Navi, Zero seemed to have predicted his move. Ducking underneath the Flame Sword, Zero saw his opportunity for a counter attack and drove his own blade forward, but the other Navi was still slightly more agile than he was, and easily avoided his Elec Sword.

"...Interesting." Even Enzan, who had been on an easy winning streak since the beginning of the N2 was unusually invested in this net battle; Unlike with Netto and X, the elder boy couldn't just exploit his opponent's inexperience or hastiness, rushing his Net Navi down with a flurry of attacks without giving the other a chance to recover or come up with another strategy- Hub and Zero were prepared for whatever Enzan had decided to throw at them thus far. The two were doing a surprising good job at keeping their wits about them, preventing them from making stupid mistakes that could potentially end their battle had they panicked. "You're a lot less incompetent than that younger sibling of yours."

"Coming from you, I suppose I'll take that as a compliment." Hub smiled. He'd seen how operators would use words outside of battle to taunt their opponents, and it was a tactic that often worked to distract the other operator from the battle, but Hub was able to read between the lines and understand what was happening- The other boy was actually finding it difficult to simply plow through him and his Net Navi, like he'd done to so many of his other opponents.

"That doesn't mean you'll win." As Enzan took out another Battle Chip, Hub couldn't help the sudden spike of unease and uncertainty flaring up in him. He knew that Enzan's style of net battling was somewhat similar to his own, in the way that they both favored close-ranged combat over long-ranged, but the fact that Enzan's Navi had the speed advantage over them would make it difficult for him and Zero to avoid damage if they failed to accurately predict Enzan and Blues' next move- A fact that Hub was certain that Enzan realized as well, and was going to use to his advantage.

...But, there was something to be gained from it. If Hub was actually successful in predicting Enzan's next move, it could potentially lead to an opportunity for him to counter with his own attack. It was a much needed opening that Hub needed to swing the battle to his favor, before Enzan could whittle Zero's strength down completely.

Zero echoed his thoughts, the red Navi understanding the risk they would have to take for the opportunity to win. "Let's do this."

"Attack Battle Chip; Step Sword!" Bringing the chip up, Enzan slotted it into his PET's chip reader. "Slot in!"

"Step Sword!" Blues' Flame Sword was quickly replaced with a regular one, but Zero wasn't disillusioned into thinking that his opponent was now less of a threat to him. Having used the very same Battle Chip before, Zero knew that the Step Sword had a secondary ability, in which it allowed the user to teleport, much like Area Steal. He tensed, bracing himself for an attack coming from possibly any direction as Blues rushed towards him. As he expected, his opponent vanished before his eyes just as he was inches within striking distance.

"Zero, look out!" Hub yelled, attempting to warn his Navi. "He's-"

"You're too slow!" Blues had appeared once more, this time dropping down on his unsuspecting opponent. "Take this!"

Zero only had a moment to watch as Blues swung his sword down upon him, striking his shoulder and knocking him backwards. Wincing, Zero clutched the wound and tried to recover from the attack, but Blues wasn't about to give him the opportunity to get back into the fight.

"This is the end for you!" Raising his sword once more, Blues dashed forward. If he could land this strike before Zero could duck out of the way, then his opponent would either be deleted, or be forced to log out in order to avoid such a fate.

"Zero!" Sensing the oncoming danger barreling towards them, Hub knew he had to at least do something to give his Net Navi a fighting chance. "Attack Battle Chip; Z-Saber-"

" **ggGGGWWWOOOOAAaaarrr!"**

Hub gasped, and for the first time during the entire battle, panic and fear slammed into him as giant cubical blocks began raining down from the sky and onto the battle stage. The screen of his PET flickered into static as the stone cubes continued to pummel the entire area, and judging by Enzan's reaction, the other boy didn't seem to be expecting such a thing as well. The audience cheered, believing that this was all somehow apart of the net battle, until the dust had settled, and the distinct form of a third Navi was made clear within the battle sphere.

"H- It's you?!" Hub recognized the Navi instantly. "But how?!"

"What are you talking about?" Enzan sounded slightly unnerved, but at this point, Hub couldn't really blame him. "Who is this Navi?"

"That's Desertman- He's one of the Net Navies in the N2, but Netto-kun and I defeated him before!" Hub quickly explained. "So how-"

A loud static sound blared through the entire stadium, and both boys covered their ears from the noise. There were several loud screams coming from the audience, and once the static sound had finally subsided, it was made clear that the display screen projecting the image from within the Battle Sphere had been hijacked- Instead of the live footage from within the Battle Sphere, the screen now showed a figure, wearing a mask with weird markings on it, as well as a dark and crimson cloak, covering any of its features.

Hub took a step back in shock.  _'N-no way! That can't be…!'_

"Is that…?" Though uncertain, Enzan appeared to have guessed who this mystery person was, and Hub quickly confirmed his suspicions with a nod.

"It is… Desertman's operator has hijacked the entire tournament!"


	180. Chapter 151

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm still sick, but I also hate those projects where you have to go out of your way and find people to interview for data. I mean, I understand the reasoning behind it, but that doesn't mean I like going out of my way to ask people for interviews. Also, the scene that you've all been waiting for since the beginning of this arc is finally here. Please enjoy.

"Urhh…"

Zero tightened his grip on his Z-Saber, the red Navi had received the chip data just in time when the cubical stones suddenly began raining down upon the battle stage and the ground gave away from underneath him. Just as he fell, Zero stabbed his saber into the crumbling walls around him. Out of sheer luck and some quick thinking, he was able to save himself from falling into the pit below, where a swirl of bubbling quicksand was already rapidly rising from the depths, threatening to engulf him if he didn't find some way to escape from the hole he found himself in soon. Blues was somewhere underneath him; The other Navi had rushed forward to unleash his attack, but ended up tumbling down along with him when Desertman ambushed them.

"Hey!" Zero yelled as he looked down towards Blues. Much like him, the other Navi had decided that the best course of action was to plunge his sword into the wall as leverage to prevent him from falling further. "Are you alright?"

"I'll live." Blues replied curtly.

" **ggGGGWOOORRrrr…"**  Zero turned to where to horrid groan had come from. Among the sand, Desertman's form was gradually approaching him, the sand Navi's appearance just as unnerving as Zero remembered, but something wasn't quite right- Upon closer inspection, Zero noticed that the hollow sockets of Desertman's eyes were completely dark. It had been off-putting enough when the sand Navi's red eyes would look around for him when Zero had battled him from before, but somehow, the sand Navi's dark, empty gaze proved to be even more disturbing, and Zero suspected he knew why.

"That Desertman…" Zero swallowed, trying not to let his fear get the better of him as he spoke. "It's a backup. There's no key data inside of it."

Blues appeared to have noticed it, too. "It's running on some sort of pre-programmed combat data." That would be the only explanation for how Desertman was able to attack them when the other was basically just a hollow husk of a Net Navi. "There's no thought or logic behind any of its movements…"

" **rrRRRGGhhhh…"**  Desertman let out a distorted rumbled as he raised his hand.  **"Rrrgh… RRHHHAAAAAGH…!"**

Balling his hand into a fist, Desertman proceeded to slam his fist down onto where Zero had been dangling from, sending the red Navi pummeling down into the quicksand below. Out of panic, Zero gasped and flailed around on the surface of the sand- Anything to get away from the corrosive quicksand! He'd seen what it had done to other Net Navies, and Zero didn't want to be disintegrated by it! He could feel the sand already eating away at his frame as he sunk further into it, and just as Zero thought he was doomed for sure, he felt someone grabbing and holding on to his extended arm.

"You're only making yourself sink faster by struggling, idiot!" Blues yelled at him.

"B-Blues?!" Zero couldn't quite believe it. Judging from Blues' tendency to follow his rationel, the red Navi would never had guessed that the other would risk his own life in an attempt to save his. "Y… You'd get swallowed up too if you aren't careful!"

"Shut up!" Blues snarled. He still had his sword lodged into the wall, but with his other hand grabbing onto Zero's wrist to prevent the other Navi from sinking further into the sand, he was in quite the predicament. If the sand were to rise any further, or if Desertman were to strike again, he would have nowhere to run. "I'll leave you here to be deleted if you distract me any further!"

"...!"

" _How pitiful."_  This time, the voice had come from outside of the Battle Sphere.  _"Even the two strongest Net Navies from the N1 are no match against my Desertman."_

Hub gasped. The distorted voice had come from the screen showing the mask of Desertman's operator. "That's- You're fighting dirty!" The boy yelled, pointing at the screen.

"I have to agree." Enzan frowned at the hijacker. "I can't forgive anyone who interferes with my net battles."

"Yeah!" Hub was somewhat emboldened by Enzan's words. "You're the one who couldn't win without ambushing other net battlers!"

' _Is that what you think?'_  The distorted laugher echoed throughout the stadium.  _'Well, it matters not. Soon, both of your Navies will be deleted.'_  There was a slight shift in tone as Desertman's operator seemed to be addressing the rest of the audience as he continued.  _'Watch closely, fools… This is what happens to those who dare defy the glorious WWW!"_

The audience bursted into an uproar, and even Hub had trouble holding back his shock. "Y… You're with the WWW?!"

" _I've had enough with the games and the waiting!"_  The masked operator bellowed.  _"Desertman! Delete those two Navies- In the name of WWW!"_

" **RhhAAAAHHRRGH!"**  Desertman reacted. The Navi raised both his hands this time, and the arena began rumbling, foretelling the oncoming attack.

"Blues…!" Zero could already tell where this was going. "You have to let go…!"

" _It's too late!"_ Deserman's operator laughed once more.  _"You'll both be destroyed by this Sand Tomb!"_

Large, cubical stones began pummeling the entire area once more, the shock of the attack felt even by those outside of the Battle Sphere. Hub covered his mouth in shock, unable to plug his Navi out despite his attempts, and even Enzan appeared disturbed by the sheer devastation caused by Desertman's Sand Tomb. What followed, however, as not what either of them were expecting.

"Wh…" As the smoke began to fade, a strange, blue glow was covering the entire battle stage, the broken panels reforming themselves as the quicksand subsided. "This is… Repair…?" Hub took a wild guess.

Then, there was a disruption among the audience once more, some among the crowd screaming and pointing towards the top of the Battle Sphere, where the form of a cloaked figure was descending from the air. Behind it, the soft glow of several luminate butterflies surrounded Zero and Blues, both Navi confused but mostly unharmed as they were suspended in mid air. Belatedly, Desertman directed his hollow gaze at the newcomer as the three Navies landed onto the newly repaired battle stage.  **"rrrRRRrrnngh…?"**

"So." The figure spoke, smiling mysteriously. "This was your plan all along."

" _EEEEEE! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT- IT'S THE BLUE MYTH!"_  Another voice sounded throughout the stadium, this time coming from the announcer's stand.  _"MISTRESS OF THE UNDERNET, BRINGER OF CHAOS- THE BLUE MYTH HAS GRACED THE N1 ONCE WITH HER PRESENCES DURING THE FINALES! BUT WHAT COULD THIS SECOND, MYSTERIOUS APPEARANCE MEAN? HAS THE BLUE MYTH SENSED THE DISASTER WAITING TO BEFALL TWO OF OUR FINALISTS AND WAS ATTRACTED HERE AS A RESULT? OR COULD THIS APPEARANCE BE THE FORETELLING OF CERTAIN DOOM-"_

" _A_J01! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! GET AWAY FROM THE MIC, NOW!"_

" _WAIT! I WASN'T DONE Y-"_

There are a series of shuffling sounds, before the announcement was abruptly cut off. But by then, the majority of the audience had already caught onto what was happening.

"Th-that's right! The Blue Myth attracts disasters, doesn't she?!"

"I heard the entire Battle Dome from the original N1 collapsed because of her appearance!"

"Are we going to die?!"

"..." The newcomer, now identified as the Blue Myth stood still for a moment, before she turned towards Desertman. "This whole time… You've been waiting for this battle so you can show to the entire world that even Electopia's best net battlers are no match for WWW…" At this, the Blue Myth raised her hand, pointing towards Desertman and his operator. "...Any disasters I bring shall only befall those of WWW!" She declared, allowing the entirety of the audience within the stadium to hear her.

"W-wait, the Blue Myth can control who her disasters are targeted at?"

"What's happening? Did WWW just hiijack the N2? And did the Blue Myth just say she'll take them down? Am I still dreaming?!"

"Who cares! As long as the Blue Myth isn't targeting us, we're saved!"

' _...!'_  Desertman's operator appeared to have realized that his plan had been foiled by the Blue Myth's unexpected appearance, but even so, the masked operator still had one last trick up his sleeve.  _'Desertman! Use Desert Mirage!'_

" **Rrrh…!"**  Besides the sand Navi, two pillars made of sandstone rose from the ground, and with a groan, the orbs on top of both pillars began to glow.  **"rrRRRAAAAHHH!"**

There was a bright flash of light, blinding everyone in the stadium temporarily. Once the light had finally subsided, Desertman and his operator was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

The back door of the stadium flung open, and the cloaked figure who was Desertman's operator bursted out through the doorway.

"And to think I've wasted all this time for nothing…!" The masked operator was seething. "God damn it all!"

"There he is!" Someone yelled. "Rockman X-  _Attack!_ "

Desertman's operator only had a moment to turn, before a PET collided with the side of his head, knocking him out.


	181. Bad Omens 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I got a bit stuck writing this chapter, Hopefully it's not too bad.

The town's children were surprisingly absent from the outskirts of the town, where they would often rummage around the tall grass, indulging in their own make-believe adventures during late noon. Forte was immediately suspicious. He wasn't foolish enough to believe that the group of brats had changed their attitude overnight and decided to stay out of trouble for once. The mightyena was trotting through the streets, still confused by the disappearance of the human-children, before he finally stumbled upon the misplaced brats, all huddled around something in the middle of the road.

"What is it?" He heard one of the children ask. "I've never seen anything like it before!"

"I dunno- But it looks so weird!" At this, Forte heard something that sounded suspiciously like a yelp. "Look at its horn!"

Squinting, the mightyena attempted to get a clear look of what the children were circled around, before seeing the charcoal-matted fur that could only belong to one pokemon that Forte knew.

"Hey!" He yelled at the group, deciding to step in. "Knock that off!"

The children all heard the roar coming from the mightyena. Some of them gasped, and began screaming as they ran in fear from the hyena-like pokemon, while several of them even began crying in fright, but Forte's action had ultimately had the desired effect. Merely several moments later, Forte was able to walk up to Rockman without the group of annoying brats crowding around them.

"What were you doing?" Forte questioned upon reaching the other pokemon. Why had the other been surrounded by the group of human-children?

"Not much?" Rockman ran a hand through his hair, some of his fur having been ruffled by the children not caring if they got dirt or charcoal smeared all over their palms. "I just wanted to play with those human-children for a bit…"

"By which you mean letting them pull at your horn and tail?" Forte raised an eyebrow. "You have a weird definition of 'playing'."

Rockman pouted at Forte's words. "Then what do you think play should be about?"

"I…" Forte squinted once more. There wasn't many other pokemon who weren't completely terrified of him, even when he had been younger, so the mightyena didn't really have much experience with playmates to go by. "...I don't know. They play hide and seek, or something." Forte seemed to recall Kalinka doing something of the sort when she had been just a child.

"Hide and seek?" Rockman tilted his head, his tail giving a brief flick.

"Y… You play in pairs or in a group. One person is the seeker, who has to find the other players who hide." Forte wasn't sure how to feel having to explain something so simple to the other pokemon.

Rockman's eyes lit up. "That sounds interesting- Can we play that?"

Forte's answer was immediate. "No."

"Wh- Why not?" The other pokemon actually looked and sounded disappointed at his rejection.

"Because, it's something that children play." Forte grunted, rolling his eyes. "Seriously Rockman, how old are you?" Judging by his appearance, Forte didn't think the other was that much younger than he was.

"..." Rockman looked away, biting his lips softly. "...I don't really know…"

The atmosphere had gotten awkward in an instant, and Forte nearly slapped himself on the side of his head. That's right- He'd forgotten for a moment that Rockman was abandoned as a cub. The other pokemon probably hadn't been taught much before his parents had left him to fend for himself.

"...Maybe we'll play hide and seek later, when I'm feeling more into it." Forte sighed, relenting. "But not right now, okay?"

"R-really?" The surprise was apparent in Rockman's voice, before the pokemon smiled brightly. "Alright then- You promised!"

"..."

What had he just gotten himself into?

"Yeah, yeah." Forte grumbled out loud, pushing past Rockman, knowing the other pokemon would catch up and begin following him regardless. "Just don't stand there like an idiot next time and let yourself get pushed around by those brats, okay? It seemed like they were just about to pull off some of your fur."

"I just thought… They seemed harmless." Rockman frowned slightly as he attempted to reason.

"And I told you- They're a bunch of little monsters." Forte's tone was almost musing as he looked towards the side. Rockman followed his gaze and saw the lone figure of a young boy sitting underneath a tree.

"...Who's that?" Rockman's voice had gone soft. He seemed to have noticed that something wasn't quite right with this boy.

"That's Mamoru." Forte told him, turning back to meet Rockman's gaze. "He's one of the few children that I can actually stand."

"He… He doesn't look too good." Rockman frowned. He seemed to be concerned for the boy somehow.

"He has a weak heart." Forte explained just as the two pokemon approached the child. "None of the other human-brats like him. This is his favourite spot to sit at."

By now, Mamoru had noticed the two pokemon approaching him. The boy recognized the mightyena, but not the other pokemon trailing closely behind it. He gave Rockman a small smile as he approached the boy. "Hey there. I've never seen you before. Are you Forte's friend?"

"Am I…?" Rockman turned back, looking at the mightyena, before shrugging. "I hope so!"

Even if Mamoru didn't quite understand what Rockman was saying, the boy seemed to have felt his brimming enthusiasm. "That's nice- Forte has been a bit lonely ever since Kalinka left on her pokemon journey, so it's good that he has a friend like you now."

"H-hey…" Forte stammered, feeling conflicted. Mamoru's words weren't entirely untrue, but he didn't want that being revealed in front of the other pokemon like that!

Rockman blinked, falling quiet for a moment. Forte had expected the other pokemon to reply with something overly positive, before he realized that Rockman probably had not idea who Mamoru was talking about. "She's my sister." Forte explained, before Rockman could come up with another crazy theory in that mind of his.

"Don't worry." Mistaking Rockman's silence for uncertainty, Mamoru patted the pokemon's head in a reassuring matter. "Forte may look mean, but he doesn't mean anything by it. I'm sure the two of you will get along."

"Hn." Rockman allowed himself to be patted, even leaning into the boy's hand. "I hope we can get along, too."

Mamoru giggled at the pokemon's reaction. "You're so cute."

Forte watched the scene play before him, feeling somehow annoyed when he saw that Rockman was practically wagging his tail at the boy. The mightyena was about to yawn, when he saw Rockman had leapt back abruptly, as if he'd been burnt by fire. Another quick glance had told him the reason why.

Soft tails encircled Mamoru as Serenade stepped out from the shadows, the young child baffled as to why the usually calm ninetales was acting in such an aggressive manner as it turned towards Forte and Rockman.


	182. Chapter 152 (BBS Board)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I don't want to do my homework anymore haha. Also, I debated whether I should occasionally replace "you're" with "your" in this section of the fic, but then decided against it to not appear like an asshole.

**N1 Grand Prix BBS Board:**

**Topic:** _The End of N2?_

**No.1NetBattlingPhan:**

Is the N2 canceled now? I got live tickets to see the finals and semifinals for the tournament and I was there when WWW suddenly hijacked the whole thing! Everyone was escorted out by the authorities later, and I heard they arrested the WWW operator who planned the whole thing- But what about the tournament? Who won the first match? Are we still going to see the rest of the battles? I need to know!

**IAmARealNetNavi:**

OP is high af. Didn't you read the official statement from the Net Police? The entire N2 was a sham. The guy arrested was Noboru Sunayama, one of the lead producers of the N2. The entire tournament was just a buildup so WWW can make a show of deleting the NetNavies of people they don't like. You can say goodbye to the N2 now.

**VirusKing2212:**

Wait, Net Battler Q was Sunayama this entire time? He's actually Desertman's operator? Are producers not allowed to join the tournament? Why did he had to wear that mask and cloak?

**IAmARealNetNavi:**

Right. Reveal yourself as a competitor in the very tournament you're hosting, thus drawing massive amounts of attention towards yourself and making your plan to set up a scenario in which you can delete two of the strongest Navies from the tournament that much harder. It's brilliant. Foolproof. How did I never think of that? /s

**VirusKing2212:**

It was just a question. No need to be so stingy about it. Sheesh.

**MettaurMan:**

Okay, so like, I get that the cancelation of the N2 was a really big thing and all, but I find it criminal that OP just glossed over the fact that THE FRICKIN BLUE MYTH APPEARED IN THE TOURNAMENT! Is no one going to talk about this?

**VirusKing2212:**

Oh shit, you're right- I wasn't able to get my hands on a ticket to the live battle, but I was watching the live broadcast of it the entire time! Man was I glad that I hadn't been able to get tickets- I would've been cursed!

**No.1NetBattlingPhan:**

Damn. I was hoping we'd at least get some sort of resolution to the N2. I guess I have to ask for a refund now. Also, VirusKing, I've heard that the Blue Myth tends to bring disasters wherever she goes, but cursing someone is a first. Where did you get that from?

**VirusKing2212:**

OP, didn't you hear what she said to the WWW operator? She was telling them disasters would befall WWW! If that's not a curse, I don't know what is!

**No.1NetBattlingPhan:**

Huh. I never thought about it like that, but I guess that means the rest of us are safe! It's WWW who're the ones being cursed.

**IAmARealNetNavi:**

Excuse me, but there's an actual BBS board that's made for discussions about Undernet NetNavies, and the Blue Myth, more specifically. I'm more interested about WWW resurfacing and what that means for us and the internet. Seriously, what's so interesting about her, anyways? She appeared once in the original N1, and then again in the N2, and did some things. Big deal. Stop derailing the conversation.

**MettaurMan:**

Navi you're completely missing the point! Don't you think it's interesting that the Blue Myth could've chosen anywhere to appear, but she had to do so in the N1 tournament- Not only once, but TWICE?

**VirusKing2212:**

Maybe the N1 tournaments are cursed!

**No.1NetBattlingPhan:**

Yeah- Didn't the entire Battle Dome collapse because of her in the original N1? And now with her appearance in the N2, WWW comes back! What's next? Monsters emerging from the depths of the underweb to consume cyberworld societies as we know it?

**MettaurMan:**

Okay, OP has an active imagination, but NO! I don't think that's why the Blue Myth appeared, but I think I know why- What if it's because of SOMEONE?

**IAmARealNetNavi:**

Oh my god. Please spare me.

**VirusKing2212:**

Wait, now that you've mentioned it, is Mettaur talking about that Rockman X? I watched literally all of the episodes on the N2, and the one where they hunted down that evil Navi really stood out to me. Do they actually have a thing going on or not?

**No.1NetBattlingPhan:**

Shit! I think I know which episode you're talking about! Man, that one was super weird! It literally went from 'Hunt down the evil Navi!' to 'Secret affair exposed!' so quickly that I thought I sat on my remote and switched channels without knowing!

**MettaurMan:**

That's what everyone is saying! That the Blue Myth's repeated appearances in the N1 and N2 is because of X, but what if they're wrong? What if it's not him?

**No.1NetBattlingPhan:**

Mettaur who are you talking about?

**MettaurMan:**

I'm SAYING, the Blue Myth likes to make grand appearances near the finale of the tournaments- And there's only one Navi that's made it near to the finale both times the Blue Myth appeared!

**VirusKing2212:**

...Mettaur are you trying to say that Net Police Officer Blues is the one who has an affair with Blue Myth instead of X?

**MettaurMan:**

I mean- Think about it! Her more stunning appearances are always near the end of both tournaments, and Blues was the only Navi to have made it anywhere NEAR to the finales in both tournaments! Don't you think that's strange?

**No.1NetBattlingPhan:**

Yeah, okay, but then how do you explain the episode that we were just talking about, where the Blue Myth literally appeared out of nowhere to save Rockman X from the wolf-Navies? What does that mean?

**MettaurMan:**

It's because X and Zero are Blues' friends, and he'd be pretty sad if they were deleted! Besides, Blues doesn't NEED saving- Did you see how easily he swept through the competition in the tournament? If there's any surface Navi that by worthy of the Blue Myth's affection, it would be him!

**VirusKing2212:**

What the heck? Somehow you're making it sound like it makes sense? I guess reds and blues go well together?

**No.1NetBattlingPhan:**

Mmmmmm Yeah no that's a bit too far fetched for me haha. Besides, what if the Blue Myth is just doing what she wants? Maybe she wants to be a strong, independent NetNavi who doesn't need any other NetNavi. We wouldn't know.

**IAmARealNetNavi:**

Aaaand there goes this thread. I went offline for a second and literally the entire thing just turns into Blue Myth conspiracy theories. I can't have a conversation on the N1 BBS board without it being completely hijacked by Blue Myth fanboys. Great job guys. Imma go now. See you in hell.


	183. Bad Omens 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Went out to an Alice in Wonderland themed restaurant today. The food was nice but it was super awkward because literally no one else was there aside from the staff when I went there. Weird.

Rockman yelped, clutching his hand from where it had been seared. Gritting his teeth, he turned to the newcomer, this one he recognized as the pokemon who had been conversing with Forte from the day before. Briefly, Rockman had averted his gaze in fear as the other pokemon stood over him, the silent, judging gaze watching him with unclear intentions. The uncertainty and insecurities he felt from the day prior was lingering somehow- Much like the first time he'd saw the other, Rockman couldn't help but notice the sharp look in the ninetales' eyes, the soft, well kept fur of his mane, and the way its tails seemed to shimmer under the light. Swallowing, Rockman tried not to cower at the other's strong composure.

"What's your problem?" Rockman yelled, forcing himself to meet the ninetales' gaze. "That hurt!"

"What's my problem?" The ninetales flicked one of his tails nonchalantly. "It's simple. I know what you are, and your kind isn't welcomed around here."

Whatever Rockman had been about to say got caught in his throat upon hearing that. Panic spiked as he froze. Fighting the urge to just run away, Rockman struggled to come up with some form of retaliation. Fortunately, it was at this moment that Forte decided to step in.

"...Serenade, what the fuck?" Forte's tone did little to mask his disbelief when he took Rockman's wrist, seeing the burn mark at the back of his hand, and Rockman tried not to blush and overthink the gesture. "Seriously? Have you decided to go around burning anyone you see now?"

"I should be the one asking you that." The ninetales, Serenade, now turned to Forte, his serious composure not faltering in the slightest. "I've told you to get rid of him quickly, Forte. So why is he still here?"

"Forte…" Rockman was growing more unnerved by the moment. He didn't care if the ninetales knew what he suspected the other knew of him, but he couldn't let Forte know that! The mightyena would hate him forever!

"What are you even talking about?" Luckily, Forte seemed confused by Serenade's words. "This is ridiculous. You ambush me at my own home one day, demanding me to get rid of some pokemon that I barely know, and now you're telling me how to deal with my problems?" The mightyena snorted. "Ludicrous."

Bowing his head, Rockman bit his lip, trying to hide the smug grin forming on his lips. He couldn't help it- He knew that the mightyena probably hadn't meant it like that, but it felt nice regardless to have someone backing him up when he was being cornered. However, Serenade appeared to have caught onto his change in behavior, despite Rockman's attempts of hiding it.

"I'm sorry, did you think it was funny?" The ninetales snarled, and Rockman shrunk back, still very much intimidated by the larger pokemon. Sneering at his reaction, Serenade turned back to Forte. "You might think this isn't any of your concern right now, but you'll be sorry when the inevitable tragedy strikes." Serenade cast a glance at the pokemon besides the mightyena. "I'm serious. You need to get rid of this doom bringer before anything bad can happen."

"Doom bringer…?" Forte looked at him as well, and Rockman panicked. Opening his mouth, he tried to say something- Anything to defend himself! But nothing would come out.

Forte seemed to catch onto his nervousness. The mightyena narrowed his eyes, and for a moment, Rockman froze up, bracing himself, almost expecting Forte to lash out at him, but the mightyena merely huffed, catching him off guard.

"...Serenade." Forte turned away, looking at nowhere in particular as the mightyena pretended to ponder out loud. "...Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you  _curse_  people with your tails?"

His emphasis on the word 'cruse' did not go unnoticed, and Rockman gasped, covering his mouth in shock while Serenade visibly tensed.

"How does the legend go again?" Forte didn't acknowledge the sudden shift in atmosphere. In fact, the mightyena appeared to be deliberately ignoring it. "That anyone who touches a ninetales' tail without their permission are cursed for nine thousand years?"

"You…!" Serenade snarled, taking a step forward. Rockman yelped, shrinking behind the mightyena for cover, but the ninetales didn't seem able to come up with a rebuttal of sorts. Rockman hadn't realized there was such a rumour surrounding ninetales!

"Maybe we should run you out of the town, too, to stop people from being cursed!" Forte snickered. "Shameful. Never talk to me about this ever again."

Without giving Serenade a chance to reply, Forte took Rockman's wrist once more and led him away from the scene, Rockman feeling a mixture of emotions wash through him as he looked at the mightyena. There was the obvious confusion as to why the other had done what he did, but there was also… something else.

"...?" Forte turned back when Rockman had paused in his steps. "What's gotten into you now?"

"...Forte…" Rockman couldn't quite meet the mightyena's gaze, but he had to know. "Why… Why did you do that…? Why did you…?"  _'Protect me…?'_

"...It's not a big deal." Forte raised an eyebrow, baffled by Rockman's sudden uncertainty. "I just hate it when people judge someone by how they look."

"Huh…?"

"I know how it feels." Sensing his bafflement, Forte elaborated. "People don't like me, either, because of how I look. They think I'm terrifying." The mightyena paused slightly at this, watching Rockman's reaction closely before he continued. "...It's true that I don't know what you are… But to make such accusations against you because of that… It's not right."

"..."

Rockman coughed. Something had caught up in his throat.

"...Rockman?"

"Forte!" Rockman leapt towards the other, winding his arms around the unsuspecting mightyena, knocking the two of them towards the ground. "Forte!"

He felt the mightyena's fur bristle underneath his palms. "Wh-What is it this time?!" Forte struggled, trying to get the other pokemon off of him, but Rockman held on tight. "Why are you crying now?!"

Burying his face in Forte's fur, Rockman continued sobbing. He didn't understand why he was unable to stop himself from crying as well, but he knew he didn't want to let the pokemon around his arms go. "Forte…"

"Okay, okay-" He felt Forte pat his head. "Shut up. Stop crying, okay?"

Sniffing, Rockman snuggled up to the other pokemon, rubbing his face against the other. He felt the mightyena tense at his actions.

"What are you-"

"Forte, I really, really like you." Rockman told him, still holding on to the other pokemon.

"...You've said that before, yes." Forte said, though he still couldn't quite tell where Rockman was going with this.

"I want to mate with you." Rockman's tail curled as he nudged Forte's forehead with his. Holding onto the mightyena's shoulders, Rockman rolled his hips upwards, attempting to bring their bodies closer. "Forte- I want you."


	184. Bad Omens 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm beginning to work on the doujinshi for the Bad Omens spinoff, but it's probably going to take me much longer than it did for Yokai Scandal. I want to include more things for this doujinshi this time, more extra content and chapters. I also found someone to do the printing and book binding for me, so the quality of the doujinshis would be better. Anyways, I just want people to feel that they're getting their money's worth of content.

Forte's reply was immediate. Raising his hand, he slapped Rockman on the top of his head, the other making a small sound of surprise as he was hit. "No."

"Forte!"

The mightyena shrunk back as Rockman leaned forward, covering the other's face with his open palm as Rockman attempted to kiss him. "I don't want to mate with you."

"Nhah!" Turning his head to the side, Rockman dislodged Forte's hand from his face. "Wh-why not?!"

Forte wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry at Rockman's bafflement. "Because. I don't like you as a mate." He hissed when Rockman only snuggled up to him more, determined to get some sort of reaction out of him. "Stop it!"

The sudden anger in his voice got Rockman to falter slightly. "But I…"

Forte gave him a look, the action itself cutting off whatever Rockman had been about to say and leaving the other quiet. "You won't ever win me over as a mate like that." The mightyena gave his tail a flick. "Now get off of me."

"..." Slowly, Rockman unwound his arms around Forte's neck and shoulders, clambering off from the mightyena and allowing both pokemon to sit back up, and Forte supposed he should feel grateful that the other pokemon had at least learnt that he wasn't going to get his way by just forcing Forte to go along with what he wanted. "I... I don't understand…" Rockman's sounded uncertain as he spoke. "Don't you like me? Why did you defend me?"

Forte looked to the side, somewhat conflicted by the hurt expression the other pokemon was giving him. "...I don't completely dislike you…"

"Then why don't you like me as a mate?" Rockman asked, shuffling closer towards him. "Is it because of something I did again?"

"Liking someone and liking them as a mate is something very different." Forte frowned.

"Then how can I get you to like me as a mate?"

There was the insistence of being mated to him again that the mightyena still had yet to understand, and though he could tell that the other pokemon was actively learning what was acceptable or not, Forte still found it slightly unsettling that whatever Rockman did had been driven by his desire to gain Forte's affection.

"...Fine. I'll tell you." Forte huffed. He saw Rockman's eyes light up, and he quickly continued. "But you have to tell me something first."

"O-okay!" There was only the slightest moment of hesitation before Rockman nodded, his composure changing from distraught to hopeful in an instant. "Ask away! I'll tell you!"

"Why don't you find another mate, Rockman?" Forte asked, and Rockman jumped, the panic visibly swelling up in his chest in an instant.

"I- I would never!" The other pokemon exclaimed. "I like you, Forte! Really!"

"But why me?" Forte did allow himself to be deterred by Rockman's apparent nervousness. "Rockman, when we first met… We didn't even know anything about each other. What makes you think I would be your mate?"

"It's… It's…" Glancing away slightly, Rockman brought a hand up, unconsciously biting his nails in unease. "It's… Love at first sight…?"

The mightyena narrowed his eyes, the other's slight twitch did not go unnoticed by him. "Tell the truth, Rockman."

"..."

"Alright then, that's it." Acting nonchalant, Forte stood up and dusted himself off. "I'm leaving. Goodbye-"

"No! Wait!" Shooting up to his feet, Rockman leapt forward, grabbing Forte's arm with both hands. "Okay- okay! I'll… I'll tell you…"

When it was certain that Forte would not just turn and leave him where he was, Rockman gradually let go of the mightyena's arms, twirling his fingers nervously. "...I'll tell you why it has to be you- But you have to promise not to laugh at me, okay?"

Forte raised an eyebrow, but he accepted Rockman's request. "Alright. I promise."

"Good." Rockman huffed, before he took a deep breath, physically steading himself. "It's… It's because I wanted to choose my own mate!"

"..." Forte waited for an elaboration, but there was none. "Excuse me- What?" Wasn't it a given that pokemon choose their own mates?

"I don't want anyone to choose me as their mate!" Rockman continued, balling both his hands into fists. "I… If I'm going to have a mate, I want to choose them myself- I don't want anyone else to choose for me!"

"And why do you want to chose your own mate?" Forte frowned.

"If I can't choose my own mate- Then what if I don't like them? I…" Rockman appeared to be shaking as he said this. "I don't want a mate that I don't like…!"

"...So that's why you chose me?" Forte asked. "Because you thought you would like me."

"Yes!" Rockman gave an affirmative nod. "I want a mate that I like!"

"But Rockman-" Leaning over, Forte took one of Rockman's hand, the other pokemon tensing at the action. The mightyena wasn't sure how to preface what he was about to say when he saw the other looking away with a slight blush on his face. "...What about me?"

"...Huh?" Rockman paused, clearly confused. He hadn't caught onto what the mightyena was implying just yet.

"You said you wanted to choose your own mate, because you wanted to be certain that you liked them, right?" Sighing, Forte elaborated. "But what about me? Don't I get to choose who I want to be mated to?"

"That's-" Rockman opened his mouth, but nothing else came out as Forte saw the other make the connection in his mind. The other pokemon gasped, taking a step back as he shook his head. "...No."

"Rockman- I don't dislike you." It was clear that the other considered the possibility that Forte would ultimately reject him. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to take you as my mate- You can't force me to take you as one."

"No!" Rockman made a grab for Forte's arm, but the mightyena drew back, predicting his move. "Forte- I like you!"

"So what?" Forte just gave the other pokemon a look. Rockman stopped completely in his tracks, though he was still shaking- In hurt or disbelief, Forte couldn't tell. But Forte couldn't let himself feel bad now. It was about time he told the other that it was unacceptable for him to think that it was okay to force anyone else to be his mate. "Like you said- What if I want to chose my own mate? What if I don't want to chose you?"

Rockman had gone quiet. The other was just staring at him with tears swelling up in his eyes as he shook. "But I-"

"Rockman." Forte cut him off. "I don't want to hate you, but you have to think about what I just said, okay?"

"..." The other's composure slumped, his lips quivering as he continued to stare at the mightyena.

"I'm going home." Forte turned to leave. "...I'll see you around."


	185. Chapter 153

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: It's great when none of your other group members are free riders because then you can actually complete your group project so quickly. #Blessed.

Deciding that he'd read enough from the N1 Grand Prix's BBS board, Hub turned off the screen of his PET. He turned to his younger sibling besides him. It was the day after WWW had completely hijacked the N2 and announced there return, and the two twins were currently on the metro towards Seaside hospital. "I still can't believe you actually threw your PET at him…"

Netto shrugged, somewhat sheepishly, but he didn't deny it. "It was the only thing I could think of- He was running away! How was I supposed to stop him otherwise?" The younger sibling laughed at the memory. "Besides- It worked, didn't it?"

Hub rolled his eyes, sighing. If anyone could come up with such an unorthodox plan on the spot, it was his younger twin. "At least that means you have a good throwing arm." Hub said. He can laugh about it now that it was in the past.

"I understand that you did it to stop Sunayama from escaping, Netto-kun, but I really hope we won't have to do that again!" Netto blinked when he heard X speaking out from his PET, the Navi sounding somewhat annoyed. "I got knocked around really badly inside the PET when you threw it!"

"Ah, I'm sorry!" Netto winced. "But I just couldn't think of anything else to do! Really!"

"How did you know that Net Battler Q was Sunayama, anyways?" It was Zero's turn to speak up. "And how did you know where to stop him from escaping?"

"We didn't." X said, his tone shifting slightly. "It was…"

"..." The blue Navi didn't need to finish his scentse. From his hesitance, Hub and Zero could already guess how Netto and X had come across such knowledge. "Was it the Blue Myth?" Hub asked his younger sibling. "Did she tell you what was happening?"

Netto nodded, though Zero seemed less accepting of that fact. "And you trusted her?"

"Hey, it turned out to be the truth, didn't it?" X reasoned, before grinning slightly. "Besides- didn't she save you from Desertman in the end?"

The red Navi paused, before huffing and looking away. He wasn't pleased about that, but he couldn't argue with the truth.

"...Netto-kun." Hub appeared to be considering something else. "Somehow… I feel like this has something to do with that Alpha incident, and the Tetra Codes from before…"

Netto blinked, staring at his elder sibling in bafflement for a while, before he snapped into realization. With them nearing the finale of the N2, he'd nearly forgotten about WWW, and their connection to the Tetra Codes. "Hey- You're right!"

"It's just can't be a coincidence that WWW decides to make themselves known just as they're attempting to bring back the Alpha beast…" Hub frowned, placing his hands on his cheeks. "Do you think that's why they planned the entire N2? Not just to get rid of Zero and Blues, but to make everyone else too scared to stand up against them?"

Netto fell quiet, pondering the possibility for a moment. He supposed that made sense -He and Nii-san and Enzan all had a hand in stopping WWW and their Dream Virus during the End Game. It was only reasonable that the organization would be weary of them if they were attempting another ploy to destroy the cyberworld. Besides, with how many people were tuning into the N2 at that time, if WWW had succeeded in their schemes and deleted both Zero and Blues, the live footage of two of the strongest Net Navies in the tournament being deleted without effort would probably be enough to scare anyone else from interfering with their plans.

"I think you're right…" Netto sighed, suddenly feeling quite worried. "Didn't they need a bunch of Tetra Codes to wake that Alpha thing? Do you think they might've gotten them all while we were all busy with the N2?"

"...I doubt it." Hub said. "If they've already collected all of the Tetra Codes, there would've been no reason to make a show out of the N2 to scare people from confronting them. They would've just unleashed Alpha onto the internet and allowed it to consume the entire cyberworld."

"Well that's a relief…" Netto sighed, leaning back slightly. "That would mean we still have time to figure out where the rest of the Tetra Codes are, and how to stop WWW from getting their hands on them!"

"One thing at a time, Netto-kun." Hub reminded him, though the elder of the two still couldn't help but smile at the other's enthusiasm. "Right now, we need to see if Maylu-chan is alright."

The reaction of immediate. The younger Hikari shrunk back, wincing. "I'm still not sure if I want to see her or not… I don't think she's forgiven us just yet…"

"Perhaps not." Hub sighed, shaking his head. "But it's been quite a while since then. At the very least, she should be a lot less angry about that now. Maybe we can talk to her without any of us getting frustrated about it."

"I really hope so…" Crossing his arms, the younger of the two pouted. "...I don't want things to continue as they are. I don't like this. I really want us and Maylu to be friends again."

"Don't worry- we will." Hub attempted to reassure his younger sibling. "...It's kind of our fault to begin with, anyways. But if we can make her see that we hadn't meant to upset her, I'm sure she'll forgive us."

"Yeah, yeah. I get that. I just, can't help but still feel nervous about it, you know?"

"Understandable." Hub laughed. He got up and took Netto's wrist, pulling the other along with him. "Come on. This is our stop. Let's go."

* * *

"...So that's all you can tell me." Blues frowned, his arms crossed. "About WWW, the N2 and the Alpha Incident." In front of him was a Net Navi that the net police officer had not expected to see after their encounter in the tournament, right before WWW had revealed themselves to the entire world.

"Yup- That's all." The Blue Myth shrugged, pausing slightly, before giving him a weird look. "...Don't look at me like that- That's all I know myself!"

"Right." Blues didn't mean what he said. "And why have you decided to… inform me of this?"

"Because. We have the same goal." The Blue Myth made it sound like common sense as she placed both her hands on her hips. "You want WWW to be brought down, and I don't want WWW to destroy the internet. We'll stand the best chances of defeating WWW if we work together!"

"..." Bringing a hand up, the red Navi rubbed his temple- He could feel a headache forming already. "And what makes you think I'll work with you?"

"..." The Blue Myth fell quiet as she pouted, looking to the side. "...Out of the kindness of your heart…?"

The red Navi wanted to groan. Didn't the other knew that there wasn't such a thing as Navies with human hearts? "...Sometimes, I really hate you."

"I knew you'd come around!" Blatantly ignoring his displeasure, the other Navi beamed.

"Do you have any idea of all the paperwork required to explain all of this- Every time you decide to just appear with information?" Blues hadn't managed to resist the urge to yell this time around. He wanted to hate the other Navi so much.

"H-hey! Don't think I don't see what you're trying to do here!" The Blue Myth raised her voice as well, pointing a finger towards him. "I'm not splitting your work! You're the net police officer here!"

Blues scowled- Was there no reasoning with the other Navi? "...Get lost."

"Great- I'll see you around, Blues!" With a smile and a wave, the other Navi disappeared as she logged out of the server, leaving the red Navi with the sudden urge to hit something.


	186. Bad Omens 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay, so like, I get that Tik Tok is really cringey and all, but some of the songs that people are lip-syncing to are actually kind of cool. I was actually listening to Shoot him Down by Alice Francis the entire time when writing this chapter. It's a neat song.

Forte was still lying about idly in his own home during the late morning but claw at the legs of the furniture all around the house- He used to chew away at the wood when he was younger, but that particular habit was quickly stomped out when his father had decided to go and smear hot pepper on the legs of the furniture without him knowing. The mightyena was just wondering what he was supposed to do for the rest of the day when he heard Cossack call to him.

"Forte! Your little friend is back!" The man smiled as he saw the other pokemon sitting on their porch once more. "Go on- He's waiting for you!"

Going over to where his father was standing, Forte clambered up to the coffee table and leapt through the open door. The mightyena was somewhat uncertain how the other pokemon would react to what he had told him the day prior, or what he had taken away from it, if any, but Forte didn't regret saying it. The other needed to be confronted with regards to his attitude, though the mightyena wasn't sure what he should be expecting. Hopefully nothing too bad, judging by Rockman's somewhat defeated look.

"...What is it this time?" Forte tried to sound neither too distant nor sympathetic towards the other as he spoke. He didn't want Rockman to think that he was completely uncaring towards him, but he also didn't want to give the other pokemon a false impression that he would just be letting his current behavior up till this point slide as well. He prompted the other once more, when all Rockman did was avert his gaze, shifting his weight awkwardly from one leg to the other. "Well? Speak up."

"I…" Rockman's voice came out hoarse, and he paused briefly, coughing once to clear his throat before continuing. "I… I don't care about… Anymore…" He mumbled.

"What?" Forte could only make out several words among the jumbled sentence.

"I- I don't care if you don't want me as a mate anymore!" Rockman was crying once more, both his hands balled into fists as he placed them against his chest. "I just- I just don't want you to hate me…!"

"..." Forte watched for several moments as the other pokemon continued to cry, internally debating on what he should do next. On the one hand, he was glad that Rockman appeared to have realized that he couldn't just force him into doing what he wanted, but on the other hand… Aside from being confused by how distraught Rockman was acting, he couldn't help but feel somewhat bad and responsible for causing such distress.

Sighing, he patted Rockman's head gently. "...You realize you can't do things to force other people, just because it's something you want, yes?"

"I… I never thought about it…" The other tried to get out in between his hiccups. "I didn't, didn't know that I was making you feel something you didn't want to- But I know that now!" Rockman shook his head, attempting to wipe away some of his tears with the back of his hand. "I- I won't do that anymore! P-please don't hate me… I… I'm so sorry…!"

Somewhere in the middle of his ramblings, Rockman had took his hand and placed it on the side of his face, the action strangely intimate, but Forte had allowed it, thinking that Rockman was probably too distraught to be thinking clearly at the moment. He brushed his thumb on the other's cheek, just underneath his eye silently. "You can't force me to be your mate just because it's something you want- You can't force anyone else for that matter, okay?" WIth that, he patted Rockman's cheek softly. "Alright, as long as you see what you did was wrong, I don't have any problems being your friend if you won't do it again."

"For-" The look of surprise and hope had crossed the other's expression for a moment, before the mightyena watched as Rockman forcefully suppressed it, biting his lip before he spoke again. "...You don't have to. I… I'll be happy, as long as you don't completely hate me."

Forte was conflicted between laughter and resignment once more. "This is different- This is something that I want to do. You aren't forcing me, alright?"

Rockman still appeared uncertain. "S-so… You want to be…?"

"I'm not opposed to it, yes." Forte said, raising his eyebrow. "Unless you don't want to-"

"No!" Rockman panicked momentarily, clasping Forte's hand in both of his."I… I'm just surprised…" The other then trailed off, looking to the side. "...I, I'm just glad you don't hate me…"

"Enough with the crying, alright?" Forte sighed, amused and resigned at the same time when he heard another soft sniffled from the other pokemon. "Really, Rockman- For someone who puts up such a cheerful front, you sure you like crying a lot…"

"S-sorry…" Finally wiping the final tears from his eyes, Rockman took a breath to steady himself. "...I would like that very much, Forte. Thankyou."

"Good." Forte gave Rockman a soft smile. "Now that that's done with, would you like to follow me someplace?"

Rockman tilted his head. "I- Alright. But where are we going?"

"You'll see." Turning around, Forte walked on ahead, and as expected, Rockman was quick to follow.

* * *

"This is…" Rockman appeared to realize that they've reached their destination without Forte saying anything- The mightyena didn't find it that surprising. If the apple tree on top of the small hill they were on wasn't distinctive enough to have given it away, then the surrounding patches of different kinds of flowers probably did the job. "Where is this, Forte?"

"Just some place at the back of the town." Forte flicked his tail. "It's where Kalinka liked to take me sometimes, when she didn't have friends over or was doing anything else."

"Kalinka… That's you sister, isn't she?" When the mightyena gave an affirmative nod, Rockman continued. "Wh… Why did you take me here…?"

"Don't get any weird ideas." Forte slapped Rockman's forehead, though he was careful to do it softly, and the gesture was more in jest than anything. "I don't have anything to do, and it would get boring pretty quickly in town. Besides, I promised you something."

Rockman blinked. The other pokemon looked confused, attempting to recall what Forte was referring to, before his eyes lit up. "Are we playing hide and seek?"

"Close- but no." The area was a wide open grassy field. There was absolutely no place to hide, but they could play something else. "We'll play tag."

"Tag…?"

"It's similar to hide an seek, but instead of a hider and a seeker, one of us is 'it', and if you get caught by 'it', you become 'it'. The goal then is to catch another player, so that they become 'it' instead, get it?"

"Ah…" Rockman nodded, a bit belatedly. "I, I get it! ...I think…"

"Good." Bringing a hand up, Forte patted Rockman on his head once more. "There. You're it."

With that, the mightyena turned and ran. It was several seconds later did he hear the other pokemon as he gasped in realization.

"H-hey!" Rockman yelled as he quickly ran after him. "I'll get you, Forte!"

* * *

It was late evening, nearing night when Forte finally returned home, his fur matted in dirt and grime. The mightyena was somewhat annoyed, but he realized that it had been his own fault that he had underestimated Rockman due to the other pokemon's smaller size compared to his own- Despite that difference, Rockman was surprisingly speedy, and was able to tackle him to the ground several times even at a distance. He should probably consider doing something else upon the other pokemon's next visit.

"Ah, there you are, Forte!" Cossack noticed him as soon as he went in through the front door that had been conveniently left open for him. "I was beginning to get worried…"

"Some of the townsfolk have been getting a bit concerned over the past few days…" Cossack continued, and it was then that Forte noticed that the man was holding some sort of photograph in his hand. "It seems that there've been repeated sightings of an absol near the town for the past week or so…"

Cossack patted Forte on the head as the mightyena came closer, going up next to him. "Ah… You probably don't know what absols are... " The man guessed. He didn't think Forte would have any knowledge of other pokemon outside of that of the town. "Well… In short, they're pokemon who're rumoured to cause disasters. While I'm not sure if they're accurate or not, it's better safe than sorry- So if you see one, be sure to run, okay?"

Forte was still staring at his father in confusion after the explanation. He squinted. Somehow, the term 'absol' sounded familiar, but where had he heard it before…?

Then, the mightyena directed his gaze toward the photo that Cossack was holding, and his breathe had caught up in his thoard the moment he recognized the figure in the picture.

It was a photograph of Rockman, in his natural fur colour standing among the grass underneath the moonlight.


	187. Chapter 154 (Seaside Hospital 2.0)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I really don't want to go back to school. On that note, apparently 5th October has been the day when I've updated my original webcomic DragonTail for an year now- I can't believe my babies are actually one year old now. Next thing we know it'll be LGOTN's one year anniversary, too. That'll be the 22nd March 2019.

"This should be it…" Pushing the door open, the two Hikari twins quickly located the redhead- Maylu was seated by herself at the far end of the room, looking out of the window at the ocean below. Netto and Hub gave each other a quick look, before Netto worked up the courage to go over to her.

"Hey, Maylu…" Netto smiled, somewhat nervously as he approached Maylu, the girl looking up at him as she heard his voice. "So… Are you okay?"

"...I'm fine, Netto-kun." Maylu sighed. She seemed bothered by something in particular. "It's nothing serious. The doctors let me know that I can go today. My mom's coming to pick me up later."

"Oh… Okay."

Their conversation quickly trailed off, and the two of them merely stared at each other in uncomfortable silence, both unsure of what to say next. Fortunately, Hub decided to step in.

"Um, Maylu- Netto and I just wanted to say sorry about the whole thing with us keep secrets…" Hub clutched one of his arms awkwardly as he spoke. "...We just didn't want you to get worried about us. We didn't mean anything else by it."

Maylu looked away. For a moment, it appeared that the girl wasn't about to let them off the hook just yet, but she sighed. "...I get that. I know you didn't mean to say that I'm weak or anything- But it's just so hard not to feel bad about it, you know?" She shook her head at that. "I… Netto. Hub. You two have each other to look out for you- And I mean really, really look out for you. When either one of you gets into trouble, you always have each other to fall back on, but…"

"But I can't! I can't be there for you- All I can do is stand on the side and hope that nothing happens to you…" Both boys frowned in worry when Maylu bowed her head, biting her lips as she struggled to find the right words. "And that's why… I just, feel useless! I know you don't want me to think that, but that still doesn't change the fact that I'm no help at all!"

"Maylu." Netto began weakly. "That's not true…"

"Isn't it?" Maylu appeared distraught. "Then tell me- What did I do that helped? What  _can_ I do?"

"W-well…" Hub stammered. The boy didn't think for a second that Maylu was really as useless as she claimed to be, but even the elder of the two twins wasn't quite sure how to respond to her question when being put on the spot so suddenly. It was true that him and Netto had did all they could to exclude Maylu- and their group of friends, for that matter- from participating when he and Netto would do something particularly reckless. At that time, it had really been to protect the rest of them from getting hurt or injured, but now, the act of good intent seemed to be ironically incriminating. "Uh…"

"You don't have to say anything." Maylu smiled, though it somehow unsettled the twins even more. "I know you don't think that. This is my problem alone, and I'm sorry that I took it out on the two of you."

"..."

Netto crossed his arms, looking away. The boy didn't know how to respond to what Maylu had said, and Hub couldn't say he blamed him. There had to be some way to convince the girl that what she said wasn't true… Right?

"...Eh?" Netto looked up when he heard something- It sounded like the distant blaring of alarms. "Wh… What's that?"

"It sounds like it came from the floor below…" Hub frowned. He turned to the other two, about to speak, but whatever he said ended up being caught in his throat when his gaze fell upon Maylu- The elder had wanted to ask Maylu to stay here while he and Netto checked out what was happening on the floor below them, but it just didn't seem appropriate after the conversation that they had. "Er…"

"It's okay. I understand." Maylu tried not to sound too bothered by it. What could she do? Though her ankle was mostly healed, she still couldn't run quite well. She would only slow the two boys down if she insisted on coming. "You two just be careful- Watch out for each other, okay?"

"Maylu…" Netto was still hesitant, but Hub sighed.

"Let's go, Netto-kun." There was nothing they could say at the moment that would change Maylu's mind. It might be better if they continue this conversation at another time. The elder of the two twins turned to Maylu. "We'll be back soon." With that, the two boys left the room, with Hub dragging his younger sibling out by his wrist more than anything, leaving Maylu sitting by the window on her own once more.

"...They've left…" From the display screen on the other side of the room that she'd been plugged into, Roll spoke out. "...Aren't we going to do anything, Maylu-chan…?"

"What can we do, Roll?" Maylu slumped against the windowsill. "I can't run, and we aren't anywhere near as strong as they are in net battles… There's nothing we can do that'll help them."

"I beg to differ."

"!"

The voice had come from behind her, and Roll turned around instantly, falling into a defensive position. The pink Navi's shock was only furthered by the ominous figure approaching her. She called for her operator immediately. "Maylu-chan!"

The girl had gone over to her PET where it had been sitting on its charger as quickly as she could once she realized what was happening. She grabbed her bag, searching through it for her Battle Chips, though something told her it would be of little use-

She bit her lips. If she couldn't even compete against other operators in net battles during tournaments, then what hope did she had against an Undernet Navi?

"O-out of all the places… I can't believe you'd choose here!" Roll was terrified of the cloaked Navi as well- She knew who the other Navi was, but only ever saw her through image or video files. Roll knew that both X and Zero had had several run-ins with this Navi during the N1 and N2, but the pink Navi never would had guessed that the very same Navi would now be standing in front of her. Though, despite all of this, she did her best to remain calm and put on a brave front. "That alarm just now- It was you, too, wasn't it?"

The other Navi raised both her hands. "It really wasn't."

Roll didn't believe it for a second. "Then what are you here to do?"

The pink Navi was unable to make out many of the distinctive features of the other Navi underneath her hood, but she froze when the other's bright, emerald eyes appeared to glimmer with intent. She tensed as the other Navi smiled and began walking towards her. "H-hey! Don't come any closer…!"

Roll was shaking in fright, expecting some sort of attack, but the cloaked Navi merely patted her shoulder in a somewhat comforting manner.

"Don't worry- I'm here to help."


	188. Chapter 155

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I don't want to go back to school and I don't want to interview another teacher, even though I used to have one of those dumb crushes on her. Anyways, this hospital really needs to up their security.

"That's weird…" Netto said, confused. "The lift's not working!" As if to confirm, the younger of the two pressed the button several more times, but nothing lit up. The lift remained unresponsive.

"It probably has something to do with the alarm just now." Hub frowned. The lift had been totally fine when they arrived, so the elder boy couldn't relate it to anything else. "Nevermind. Let's take the stairs instead."

Hub led the way down the corridor and went down once he reached the stairs. As soon as he reached the floor below though, the elder boy immediately stopped in his tracks, Netto nearly slamming into his back in haste. "Nii-san!"

"Netto-kun!" Hub yanked his younger sibling back by his wrist when Netto attempted to walk on ahead. "Wait- Look!"

It took the younger Hikari all but a second to realize why Hub had refrained from going forward. Netto's eyes went wide. He couldn't quite believe what he was seeing. "Wh…"

Giant vines had somehow grown over all across the hospital building, some of the smaller ones had crawled themselves all over the walls and corridors, blocking off access to certain rooms with their entangled mess, and some of the larger ones were laid across the floor like tree trunks, making it impossible to traverse across the lobby unless one wanted to risk impaling themselves on their spiked surfaces.

"Those weren't here before, were they?" Netto asked quietly, though even the boy's tone was somewhat doubtful. There was not way these vines could have just appeared out of nowhere… But at the same time, he would have known if the vines were there when they arrived, right?

"Hey… Hey!" Both boys blinked, baffled for a moment, before Netto spotted that someone was trying to get their attention over the vines. "You two… You're the Hikari twins, right?"

"Ah… Yeah!" Hub wasn't still quite used to people they didn't know recognizing them, but he supposed with how successful both the N1 and N2 were- Excluding the WWW hijacking, of course- it was probably inevitable.

"Oh, thank goodness!" The man appeared relieved. "Kid, listen- You gotta help us! Something's gotten into the Tree of Life! That's where all these vines are coming from!"

"The Tree of Life?"

"I guess he means the tree that we saw in the lobby when we entered the hospital." Hub whispered back. "But isn't that just an ordinary tree…?"

"It might not look like it, but the Tree of Life is vital to the hospital!" Sensing the two twins confusion, the man began explaining. "It's like the mother computer of Seaside Hospital- Many of the hospitals systems are connected to it! And now that some virus seems to have gotten into it…" The man trailed off, shivering at the thought. "Please- You two are skilled net battlers, right? Please help us protect the Tree of Life from being damaged, at least until the authorities arrive!"

"Don't worry- We'll help in any way we can!" Netto told the man. "But where can we access the Tree of Life?"

"You will? Oh, thank god!" The relief was obvious. "Go down the stairs to the ground floor. Once you reach the main lobby, you can find a port to plug in underneath the tree- Now hurry! I fear for the safety of some of the patients here!"

"Alright, we got it." Nodding, Hub turned to his younger sibling. "Come on, there's not time to lose. Let's go!"

* * *

Upon closer inspection, it would appear that the tree was not as organic as they had originally thought. The most obvious thing about it were the numerous spiked vines sticking out from the main trunk no doubt, but as the two twins approached the Tree of Life, they began to realize minute details about it, such as some of the blinking lights and panels alined along the branches of the tree that suggested that it was artificial- But purposefully made to be as realistic as possible.

"There's a spot to plug in right here, Nii-san!" Climbing over the ledge and circling the tree once, Netto was quick to find the port that the man had been talking about.

"Okay!" Hub was quick to join him. "Let's get rid of the viruses before they can cause any major damage!" Both boys took out their PETs.

"Plug in-"

"Rockman X!"

"Rockman Zero!"

"Transmission!"

In a flash of red and blue, both Navies were logged into the tree's main system. "X, do you see anything weird?" Netto asked.

"This-" X paused slightly, still trying to take in what he was seeing. "It's amazing- The system for the Tree of Life is an actual tree in the cyberworld as well!"

"Anything else?"

"There's vines circled around the cyberworld Tree of Life as well… I don't think these were natural. They had to be caused by viruses or something..." X frowned as he continued. Then, the blue Navi noticed something. "Ah! There seems to be some sort of entrance at the base of the tree…"

"It's… I don't think it's an entrance…" Zero squinted, looking towards the large crater at the base of the tree, before it hit him. "Those vines are growing from inside of it." He gasped. "Whatever it is, it's burrowed itself into the Tree of Life, causing the systems to malfunction."

"It's- It's  _inside_  the Tree of Life?" Hub wasn't sure what the implications of that were, but the boy knew for a fact that it wasn't good. "We have to go inside after them- We can't allow them to continue whatever it is that they're doing!"

"Got it!" Both Navies nodded. Jumping off the path they were currently on, X and Zero landed in front of the tree. Crawling under the spiked vines blocking the entrance, they slowly began to navigate their way through the interior of the tree, though the two Navies were quick to realize that perhaps their plan might not be as simple as they had originally thought out to be.

"There's no way forward…" X said, observing the path before them. "The spiked vines are completely blocking the way…"

"It's okay, I've got this!" Netto grinned, taking out a Battle Chip. "Attack Battle Chip- Flame Shot! Sl-"

"Netto-kun, no!" Hub slapped the chip from Netto's hands, the younger boy wincing and recoiling in slight hurt. "Are you crazy? Don't do that!"

"Why not?!"

"If you use any fire-type chips inside the Tree of Life, you'll risk burning the entire tree down!"

"...Oh." Netto blushed. It was obvious the younger boy hadn't considered that. "But… We need to go past these vines somehow!"

"Maybe…" Hub turned back to his PET. "Zero, do you think you can slice through those vines?"

"Let's see…" Summoning his sword, the red Navi took aim and swung it down onto the spiked vines, but instead of having the desired effect, Zero's sword got lodged in between the vines without so much putting a dent in them. "Ugh… It's no use…"

X had shifted his arm into his buster wordlessly and fired shot after shot at the digital vines as well, but all of the shots merely bounced off the surface of them. "My buster isn't doing anything, either…"

"..." Hub frowned, carefully assessing their situation. They needed some way to break through the vines so that they can continue onwards, but without the ability to use fire-type chips…

"...Huh?" Suddenly, X turned back around from where they had come from, the Navi being the first to notice the ominous shuffling noises approaching them. "Something's coming!"

Both Navies aimed their weapons towards the sound- In the dim light, X and Zero weren't able to see who or what was approaching them, but from the noises it was making, they could tell that whatever it was, it had to be quite large in size. "It has to be some kind of virus." Zero decided, holding his sword defensively. "X, get ready…!"

Both Navies tensed, preparing for their ambusher to leap out from within the shadows when the shuffling sounds suddenly stopped, and the air grew quiet.

"Mettaur!"


	189. Bad Omens 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey we're actually past the halfway point of Bad Omens now. Just thought I'd let y'all know.
> 
> A/N2: I almost forgot to ask you all to check out Stalker by FallenwaterTheFallen- It's a LGOTN AU where instead of Rockman, it's Dark Rockman who gets sent back in the past instead. Honestly just go to their profile through the reviews or look it up. It's amazing.

There was a conflict of emotions rushing through him; disbelief, concern, and slight guilt that he didn't trust Rockman enough to leave the issue alone, but that didn't stop the mightyena from seeking out Serenade the next morning the moment he was able to.

"Serenade, what can you tell me about absols?"Forte asked, not even giving the slightest bit of indication to the ninetales that he was approaching. The other pokemon's tails fluttered slightly in surprise before he turned around, dark eyes falling upon the mightyena.

"...Are you serious, Forte?" Serenade appeared to have the connection in his mind as to why Forte was suddenly bringing up this question. "You had no idea what he was, and you just let him into your home?"

There was a slight flush of red on his face. "Just answer the question, Serenade!"

The ninetales rolled his eyes, sighing. "...Forte, I get it. I know he looks innocent, but you can't trust absols. They're all doom bringers."

Forte squinted. "You keep saying that, but I still have no idea what you mean."

"Absols cause disasters wherever they appear." Serenade elaborated. "In fact, many natural disasters are caused by them- No one can be safe around them, Forte. Why did you think I wanted you to get rid of him?"

Forte didn't answer. He stared at the other silently for several moments as he pondered over this newfound knowledge.

' _So Rockman is an… Absol.'_

He'd definitely never heard of such a pokemon before. Forte knew that Rockman wasn't like any pokemon he had ever seen before, but the thought to ask what he was never once crossed his mind, though in his defence, the mightyena had more pressing matters to worry about at that time, such as how unhinged and forward Rockman had been in his advances.

"How do they cause disasters?" Forte decided to ask for clarification.

"...No one knows." The ninetales admitted. "They just do."

"Because disasters occur whenever they appear?"

"Yes. It's because disasters happen whenever they appear." Serenade frowned, somewhat annoyed and slightly confused by Forte's questioning. "Is that really so hard to figure out?"

"But then…" Forte trailed off, noticing the contradiction in Serenade's claim.

' _..If what he says about absols are true, then why hasn't anything happened yet…?'_

It wasn't as if Forte was wishing disasters upon the town, but it just didn't add up. If it were true that tragedies were bound to happen whenever absols appeared, then their town would've been doomed over and over with Rockman's frequent visits. But as of yet… nothing's happened. There wasn't as much as a drizzle since Rockman had decided to appear.

"Forte…" Serenade looked as if he wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. "Why are you hesitating?"

Why indeed.

Forte was torn. He knew he would do anything if it was for the good of those he cared about, but something about this just didn't feel right. Try as he might, the mightyena just couldn't picture Rockman being the cause of something so devastating, knowingly or not. Heh. The idiot probably spends all day either crying or rolling around in charcoal, for all Forte knew.

...Wait a second…

" _Human-people don't like the colour of my pelt. I got beaten by human-people several times because of it. I fell in a ditch once when I was running away from them. The don't seemed to mind me afterwards, so I think it's because of my fur."_

That was it. That was why Rockman had gone through all the effort of rubbing his entire coat with charcoal to begin with- Because people believed that he was the cause of such disasters, and Rockman was too dense to realize that. The absol truly believed that it was because humans disliked his white pelt! And with how Rockman had told him this in such an off-handed manner…

Forte felt something sting inside of him, suddenly gaining an entirely new perspective on the absol. All he saw was the other's playfulness and somewhat comedic cluelessness that the mightyena had never once considered the possibility that something so tragic could have happened to Rockman- Forte knew first-hand what it was like to be misunderstood, and it wasn't something that he would want for someone he had come to consider his friend.

"...Correlation doesn't imply causation, Serenade." Forte said, his mind made up. "I'm not going to run Rockman out of the town just because of some hearsay."

"..."

Seeing that he was ultimately unable to change the Mightyena mind, Serenade just sighed as he looked off into the distance. Then, something must have caught the ninetales attention. Dark eyes narrowed as the pokemon's ears perked up in alarm. "Forte."

Baffled, Forte followed his gaze, panic and disbelief slamming into him the moment he saw the dark smoke rising from afar.

* * *

"Dad!" Irrationality had blinded him the moment he saw the fire spreading from his home. The mightyena threw his entire body against the window, shattering the glass in an instant, not caring if he accidentally impaled himself on the shards. Leaping into the fray, his instincts briefly took over and he attempted to recoil from the thick clouds of smoke choking him, but he forced the urge aside. " _Dad?!"_

His throat hurt and his eyes stung. He couldn't see past the smoke and he felt terrible. For several moments longer, the mightyena continued to stumble around in fear and panic, until another figure had stepped in front of him- Serenade had apparently followed him through the window and into the burning house as well.

"Stay here." Serenade told him, his many tails giving a soft flick in confidence. "I'll find him."

Forte wanted to protest, but the moment he took a breath to argue, he ended up inhaling a mouthful of the smoke and soot. He coughed instantly, trying to dispel them from his lungs.

Taking that as a yes, Serenade pounced into the smoke, the fire not affecting the ninetales as much as it did the mightyena. Still, it took much too long for Forte's liking before he saw Serenade coming out from the fire, dragging Cossack's unconscious body behind him as he scrambled for safety. Forte went over to help him haul his father from danger instantly. Somehow, the two of them managed to get the door open after ramming the lock several times, and the two pokemon dragged Cossack out into the open area.

"Dad!" Forte had gone over to his side, his voice cracked. He shook his father, but there was no response from the man. "Dad…!"

"...He'll be fine, Forte…" Serenade attempted to comfort him. The ninetales might not be on the best of terms with the mightyena, but that didn't mean he wanted to see the other suffer. "He's still breathing. He's just unconscious- I'm sure he'll wake up soon…"

"..." Forte sniffed, closing his eyes. That had been too close, too sudden, and he'd nearly lost the person he'd cared most about-

He looked up. The mightyena wasn't sure what he was looking for- Perhaps someone responsible. Perhaps someone to vent his anger and guilt onto. What he hadn't expected was that he would find that someone in the form of the absol that Forte had begun to consider his friend.

Forte's lips pulled down into a scowl instantly. He hissed. " _You._ "

Rockman visibly tensed. The absol had just been watching in stunned silence on the sidelines when Forte and Serenade had ran into the flames and pulled the man out. He noticed the wild look of fury in the mightyena eyes as he approached, and took several steps back. He wanted to flee, but Forte wouldn't allow it.

"You did this!" Forte screamed, yanking Rockman by his wrist when he noticed the other had wanted to back away. The absol winced- The amount of force Forte had put onto his grip was hurting him.

"It's- It's not me!" Rockman yelled back. He was scared and confused- He didn't understand what was happening! "It wasn't me!"

" _Bullshit!_ " Irrationality had consumed him- Forte flung Rockman's arm to the side, nearly throwing the other pokemon onto the ground as he did so. "How can it not be you?!"

Rockman recoiled in terror- Forte had never been this furious at him, and the worst part is, he didn't know why. "I… I didn't…!" The absol tried again. He was shaking. "It wasn't me-"

" _LIAR!_ "

With a roar, Forte leapt forward, slamming his fist into the side of Rockman's face.


	190. Bad Omens 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Gonna interview my highschool teacher for a research project that I have to hand in as homework tomorrow. Fun.

Some semblance of sense returned to Forte the moment his fist collided against the other pokemon, though the thought that the mightyena had done something he probably shouldn't have came much too late. Rockman was already on the ground, ducking his head as light tremors shot throughout his entire body. The absol was completely silent as he reached a hand up, gently touching the place where Forte had struck him except for the soft hiss as he retracted his fingers in pain.

' _...Shit.'_

He regretted it. He shouldn't have done that- He'd been so blindsided by fear and terror himself that he hadn't considered that the absol was just just at the wrong place at the wrong time. His inner turmoil had yet to settle when Rockman finally looked up, meeting his gaze directly, and Forte froze; He'd seen the absol cry plenty of times before, but this time, it was different. Rockman wasn't bawling his eyes out in an overtly childish manner. Instead, the absol was just staring at Forte with a mixture of hurt and disbelief as silent tears trickled down his face, and the mightyena didn't realize it was possible for him to feel  _worse_.

"Rockman…" Forte began, weakly. "I-"

"You promised." Rockman said blankly. His eyes were wide and unblinking. "You said you wouldn't hate me. You  _promised_ , Forte."

Forte winced. Conflicted, the mightyena attempted to raise his hand, hoping that he could pat the other on his head, to calm the other like he had done so many times before, but Rockman just shrunk away from him, making a small sound in fear of being hit again. Forte silently lowered his hand.

"I don't understand." Rockman was holding himself. "What did I do that was so wrong?"

"Rockman…" There was no denying it. Forte had acted completely out of line- It was wrong of him to just hit the absol without thinking. "I'm-"

"All I ever wanted was to be liked by someone!" Rockman screamed. With how much he was shaking, Forte was beginning to worry that the absol might collapse at any moment. "I'm not smart- But that doesn't mean I'm completely stupid! Everyone hates me; I've been told that I wasn't welcomes, that I was better off dead-  _Why?!_ " The absol took a quick breath, though it sounded more like a sob than anything. "I thought you liked me- You said you'd be my friend… But you lied, Forte!" Rockman's expression shifted, and it was the first time that Forte had seen anything resembling anger on the other's face- No matter how much the mightyena had abused the other verbally in the past, Rockman had never shown an ounce of contempt for him, and ow that the absol had shown that he was capable of such emotions, Forte found himself unwillingly unnerved by this realization. "You  _lied_  to me!"

Rockman only gave him a loud yell as warning before he unsheathed his claws and swung. He would have nicked the other pokemon's cheek, if the mightyena hadn't reacted at the last second and caught his wrist, though that only encouraged the absol to lean in forward with his fangs, attempting to take a bite out of the larger pokemon.

"Stop it!" Finally snapping to his senses, Serenade rushed forward, grabbing Rockman by the back of his neck and managing to pry the absol off of the mightyena after some struggling. The ninetales placed himself in between Forte and Rockman, with the intention of blocking the absol should he attempt to begin his attacks anew, though now that there was some distance put between Rockman and the source of his sudden, explosive anger, it seemed to have calmed the absol down a little, though he was still heaving from his prior exertion. "Neither of you are making the situation any better!" Serenade snarled.

Rockman sniffed, his lips pulling down into a tight frown. The absol was still upset. That was reasonable. Forte would have been more than displeased, if he had not only been accused of doing something he hadn't, but also struck because of it.

"Rockman…" The absol's gaze shifted towards Forte as he spoke, the other's form still rigid and tense from alertness.

"I believed you, and you lied to me." Rockman narrowed his eyes, cutting off whatever Forte had been about to say. "... I never want to see you again!"

Then, before the mightyena could stop him, the absol turned on his heels and ran. For a split second, Forte had wanted to run after him, but Rockman had disappeared completely in that brief moment of hesitation. Realizing that the absol was much quicker than he was and that he hadn't the slightest chance to catch up with the other, Forte had no other choice but to give up. He stared dumbly at the direct where Rockman had vanished to, still not quite comprehending how everything could go so wrong in an instant.

Serenade walked in front of him awkwardly. The ninetales had originally wanted to say something about the absol finally leaving town, but he bit back the urge upon seeing how affected Forte seemed to be by this. It would probably do nothing but make things even worse than they already were. "I'll go find help, Forte." Serenade said instead. "You stay with your father and make sure nothing happens to him."

The mightyena nodded, though this was more out of habit than anything. He was only faintly aware that the ninetales had left as he turned back to where Cossack was still lying unconscious on the ground.

"Dad…" Forte murmured as he nudged the man softly. "...I really fucked up this time, huh…"

He still hadn't the faintest clue of what had happened. All he could hope was that Cossack would wake up soon and help shed some light on the incident.

* * *

It didn't take Serenade that long to alert some of the townspeople to the fire that had occured- Some of them could see the smoke long before the ninetales had even attempted to tell them of the fact, and the retired veterinarian was quickly taken to the local clinic. Cossack still hadn't woken up by then, and Forte had wanted to stay by the man's side until he did, but the doctors there wouldn't allow it. The mightyena had nothing more to do other than sulk around in his own misery after the doctors had kicked him out. Perhaps out of pity, Serenade had stayed with him attempted to cheer him up.

"He'll be fine, Forte." Serenade told him, his tails twitching in slight unease. "He's just resting. I'm sure he'll wake up soon."

"I guess…" Forte turned his head away. The mightyena was currently laying on his back with the ninetales looking over him. "...Something just doesn't doesn't feel right about the whole thing…"

"What is it?"

"The fire." Forte mumbled through his palm. "It just… Fires don't just  _happen_  out of nowhere. It had to be something, or someone…"  _'But who…?'_

Serenade frowned. He was about to reply, when a soft rumble was heard overhead. Forte allowed his hand to slide back to his side and looked up as well. Ominous dark clouds were beginning to gather in the sky.

"...I guess that means he's still near." Serenade said dubiously. Then, in a more serious tone, he continued. "I have to go find Mamoru and take him home. It won't be good for him to be caught out in a storm."

"I'll help you." Mamoru was one of the few brats that Forte could actually stand. Besides, it was the least he could do after Serenade had basically saved his father from a fire. "Do you think he's still at his usually spot under that tree?"

"Probably" Serenade nodded. He flicked one of his tails in a 'follow me!' motion as he walked ahead. "Come. Let's go."

The sky had gotten substantially darker once they reached their destination, and the wind had even picked up. The two pokemon could hear the rustling of the leaves as they neared the tree, but one thing of particular importance quickly struck them; Mamoru was strangely missing from the scene.

Serenade was the first to rush forward, looking around in a state of worried panic as he tailes swirled around in restlessness. "This can't be right!" Serenade was murmuring to himself. "He was just here several moments ago. I could have sworn…"

Something must have caught the ninetales attention. He trailed off mid-sentence as his gaze fell onto something on the ground. A look of shock and disbelief crossed his features, before the nine-tailed pokemon scowled.

"I am going to  _end_  him."

Forte approached with cautious curiosity. He suspected he knew who the other pokemon was referring to, but the mightyena was quick to come to a different conclusion upon inspecting the series of smudged markings. "It's not him, Serenade."

Heat flared up on the other's tail tips instantly. "Who  _else_  could it be?"

"I don't know." Forte admitted. "But… It can't be Rockman. Look."

Serenade squinted as Forte placed his own hand onto the paw marks on the ground, before the ninetales' eyes widened in realization.

The paw mark was much larger than Forte's hand. There was no way that Rockman, who was slightly smaller than the mightyena, could leave such a marking.


	191. Chapter 156

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This is bullshit. I studied for the quiz but I answered the wrong thing. I don't want to be human anymore.

X lowered his buster slightly. The Navi suspected he knew who had made that sound. "Beep?"

With a chirp, the Mettaur leapt out from the shadows, hopping over to him with a cheery enthusiasm. X unsummoned his weapon, allowing the virus to leap into his hands. "Beep! It's really you!"

"Mettaur!"

"What are you doing here?" Zero appeared relieved, though he was not as unquestioning about the virus' sudden appearance as X had been. "It's dangerous here- Why are you even in the surface net to begin with?"

"Mettaur!"

With a swing of its pickaxe, Beep directed both Navies attention to where it had come from just several moments ago, and another figure now made its way out from within the tunnel, emerging from the shadows. This one taking a much larger form than the Mettaur. X, though somewhat in disbelief, happened to recognized this figure, too. "S-Scuttlest?!"

The bug-like virus made a clicking noise with its pincers. From X's memory of his and Zero's last encounter with the virus, Scuttlest was just barely reaching their waist in height. Now, the virus could very much reach their chest- This had to be some sort of insane growth spurt, and the blue Navi suspected that Scuttlest might grow to be even larger afterwards.

"Wait a minute…" X patted the bug-virus softly as it made its way towards him, chittering softly. "How did you even get in here…?" There were digi-vines blocking the entrance into the tree. He and Zero had to crawl in underneath all the vines when they entered. Unless he was mistaken…?

Scuttlest appeared to have understood his concern. Giving his pincers a low click, the virus then proceeded to head over to the spiked vines that had been blocking X and Zero's way onwards. Its red eyes blinked periodically as it stared at the digi-vines. Then, Scuttlest leaned in forward with its pincers.

_R-riiiip!_

X's jaw dropped, and Zero's expression went blank as Scuttlest tore the vines from where they had been entangled almost effortlessly.

_C-crack! Crunch!_

Their path was oddly cleared, revealing the tunnel leading further upwards along the Tree of Life. Scuttlest was still chewing away at the remaining bits of the digi-vines. Zero turned to X with a somewhat uncertain expression on his face. "...I guess we know why it's grown so big now…"

X nodded, though the Navi would prefer not to think about the full extent of what Scuttlest had consumed to have grown to the size it is now. "We can move forward now." X motioned towards the path ahead." Let's hurry onwards- The patients in the hospital are still in danger. We have to find the person causing this malfunction and put a stop to them."

"Right!" Zero nodded.

"Mettaur!" Beep appeared to agree as well, and the group consisting of two Navies and two viruses continued onwards, the upwards incline hinting them to the fact that the were gradually approaching the top of the tree rather than going in circles or underground. At points, the path would grow so steep that the group would have to climb in order to further their trek upwards, though with Beep helpfully providing indents on the walls for the Navies to cling onto, and Scuttlest being more than happy to chow away at the occasional digi-vines blocking their path, the group soon reached the end of the tunnel. There was only a brief pause to make sure that they would not be ambushed, before X and Zero stepped through into the light. Once their eyes had adjusted, the two Navies noted that the area they were now in appeared to be some sort of self-confined system, gently pulsing with energy.

"What is this place…?" Zero didn't think such an area existed within the Tree of Life. Were they unknownling transported somewhere else?

"Isn't it obvious?" A voice had interrupted him before the Navi could ponder over the fact any further. "You're inside the core of the Tree of Life."

Scuttlest snarled. The virus' eyes lit up in aggression as it lowered its body in anticipation. The two red and blue Navies turned to the source of the voice. There was a Navi taking a form eerily similar to that of a blooming flower that was steadily approaching them with an overtly elegant slide. By now, X had had more than enough experience with terrorize organization NetNavies to realize when he was dealing with one. "You're one of WWW's, aren't you!" X raised his buster at the Navi, before something else occurred to him. "...The Tetra Codes; There's one that's hidden inside the Tree of Life, isn't there? That's why you're attacking Seaside Hospital right now!" So they hadn't yet collected all of the Tetra Codes, after all!

The WWW navi merely squinted, raising his chin in an obnoxious manner. "How very… observant of you…" The Navi grit out. He didn't seem particularly pleased with being figured out so quickly.

"You're cornered- You have nowhere to run!" Zero stepped forward, drawing his weapon as well. "Give up now and return the systems back to normal!"

"Hm." Intertwining the slender fingers on both hands, the Navi laid both hands palms-down before placing his his chin on top of them. "Well. I might have had a reason to comply with your demands, if only to buy myself more time to complete my mission, but as it stands now, I'm afraid you're much too late. " A sly grin donned the Navi's features. "The Tetra Code you're so desperately looking for is gone- It is now safely in the hands of WWW to do as they please."

Zero scowled, cursing internally. WWW was now a step closer to reawakening Alpha than they had been, but they had a more immediately problem that needed to be resolved at the moment. "Return the systems back to normal." Zero demanded once more.

The smile dropped from the WWW Navi's face. Silently, both of the Navi's hands dropped back to his sides, while the spiked vines growing from his back twirled in a menacing manner.

"I'm sorry..." The Navi spoke in mock-bafflement. "But what makes you think you have the authority here…?"

With a snap of his fingers, vines bursted out from underneath the tiled floors. X and Zero were fortunate enough to have suspected such an ambush, and the two Navies leapt out of the way before the digi-vines could impale them. Their two virus companions, however, were not as lucky. Beep let out several frantic chirps before he was quickly buried underneath the weight of the vines. The muffled sounds of the Mettaur's struggling was the only thing that managed to escape. Scuttlest had snarled, biting and clawing at the vines with valiant aggression before the bug-virus was overwhelmed, too, wheezing and jerking in confinement as it was swiftly bound in place. X had wanted to rush over and free them, but another set of digi-vines erupted from the ground, this one laced with pointed spikes, quickly slithering around the form of the trapped viruses and taking the shape of a makeshift cage, effectively stopping the two Navies from approaching their virus companions.

"My name is Plantman!" The WWW Navi proudly declared after the display. "And I now control the Tree of Life!"


	192. Chapter 157(Plantman)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Why is Plantman so flamboyant? I remember from watching the anime that that's his personality, but I'm not sure if it's because of localization? Can someone who watches the US or the Japan version of Battle Network tell me if he was also like this in the anime? Also, sorry for the shorter chapter this time- I had a lot of work to catch up on, and it's kind of my fault that I kept being distracted. Hope you all don't mind too much.

Spirals of spiked vines shot towards them. From past experience, Zero knew better than to think that his sword would have any effect on the plants. He ducked out of the way instead.

"You're good at running, I'll give you that." Plantman brought a finger up against his pursed lips. "But that doesn't mean I can't catch you!"

The plant Navi then brought both hands up to the side of his head and clapped twice*. The vines retracted, straightening themselves as they formed a line, before the spikes that were attached to their body were ejected from them all at once, sending little spar projectiles flying everywhere. Zero deflected some of them with his sword, the spikes making clinging noises as his weapon connected with them. "Nice try- But you missed." Zero narrowed his eyes at the WWW Navi.

"Oh, I'm so scared!" Plantman clasped both his hands against his cheek. "You're just like a rabbit; Quick and fiesty!"

The red Navi lost his composure for a moment, unsure of how to feel about the plant Navi's analogy of him. "Sh-shut up! Stop talking!"

"Me? Hold my tongue?" Plantman shrugged, making sure that the gesture was as obvious as possible. "But how would I be able to let you know that you've stepped into one of my traps?"

"What are y-"

Zero noticed a shadow looming over him before he could finish. There was a giangic yellow flower hovering above his head. Alarmed, Zero leapt back instantly, but not before he was blasted with a gust of pollen from the plant itself. He attempted to wipe some of the pollen off of himself once the Navi was a safe distance away from the flower. "What the heck is this supposed to be-"

Then, his knees gave out from underneath him. He felt faint. There was the alarm that he had been afflicted by the flower's pollen at the back of his mind, but the thought quickly faded as the Navi collapsed entirely, falling into unconsciousness.

Plantman nodded, pleased with himself. Now that Zero had been taken care of, the Navi directed his attention X. Plantman smiled, the expression would have been sweet if the Navi wasn't so menacing-looking. "Now, it's your turn."

With a wave of his hand, another two flowers bloomed from the ground and descended upon the blue Navi. Seeing what had happened to Zero, X was quick to fire at the two plants, quickly exploding them before they could lather him in their pollen as well.

"I won't fall for your tricks!" Pointing his buster at Plantman, X braced himself for another attack. "Take this!"

The Navi fired a charged shot at the WWW Navi, though a spiral of vines had circled around Plantman, blocking the energy shot before it could hit its intended target. He squinted. "Heh. You must think you're pretty clever, don't you?" Then, with a flick of his wrist, the digi-vines reacted, jerking once before the outward spikes flew out, shooting in every single direction. X had to duck onto the ground to avoid being impaled by the projectiles.

"Netto-kun!" Seeing another set of vines shot towards him, the Navi got up, jumping to the side just as the sharp tips of the digi-vines dug into the floor, shattering the tiles that he was on just a moment ago. "Some help would be nice!"

"I'm working on it!" Netto was panicking as well. Hub was still trying and failing to get a response from his Navi, which meant that he and X were on their own. "But… There's no way we can break through those vines without using a fire chip!"

"You're in the core of the Tree of Life right now!" Hub was quick to remind his younger sibling. "If you were to set something on fire here, the whole tree could burn down!"

"I know- I know! Ugh!" Netto was scratching his head. "But… I can't think of anything else!"

"There has to be! Keep thinking!"

"I…" Netto frowned, clenching his hands into fists. There was no other way! They had to use an elemental chip to burn away Plantman's vines if they wanted an opening to attack the Navi! Then, something clicked in the boy's mind. Taking out the FlameShot chip along with two other Battle Chips, Netto prepared to send them over to his NetNavi. "X, I've got it! Get ready!"

"Netto-kun?!" Hub was in shock. Was his younger sibling really reckless enough to ignore the potential danger of using a fire-type chip in the Tree of Life?

"It's okay! I've got a plan, Nii-san!" Netto shot his elder sibling a grin. "I know what I'm doing- Just trust me this once, okay?"

"Netto…" Hub wasn't sure what other Battle Chips his twin was planning on using, but he could only trust Netto to do what he believed would be best right now. "...Just be careful."

"I will!" With that, Netto turned back to his NetNavi. "Now's our counter attack! Let's go, X!"

"Okay!" X nodded. The Navi trusted his operator completely. "Operate away!"

"Fools!" Plantman raised his hand, preparing for an attack as the blue Navi charged at him. "My flowers will feed off of your corpses!"

"Battle Chip; Area Steal!" Holding the first Battle Chip out, Netto quickly slotted it into the chip reader. "Slot in!"

X had vanished just before the barrage of spikes could hit him. He reappeared directly in front of Plantman. Netto slotted in the second chip. "Barrier!"

A dome shape formed over the two Navies head, preventing anything from going in… or out. The plant Navi blanched, suspecting what was happening. "No! You wouldn't dare-"

"We've got you now!" X's buster was already aimed point blank at Plantman. "FlameShot!"

Fire exploded from within the barrier, scorching everything inside the dome in flames. There was a loud shriek as the WWW Navi was completely encased in fire, though nothing as much as a spark managed to slip out from underneath the dome. As the fire gradually begin to die down and the barrier dissipated, the digi-vines summoned by Plantman began to shake and wither, crumbling into dust before being blown away along with the ashes.

* * *

***MEME REVIEW!**


	193. Chapter 158

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay but what tf actually happened? I remember typing this chapter for LGOTN and then suddenly I woke up and it was morning?

"N-Netto-kun!" Hub couldn't believe it. The elder of the Hikari twins was both relieved and proud at the same time. "You did it!"

"It's really nothing!" Netto laughed, rubbing the back of his head. He didn't think it was as impressive as any of his elder sibling's plans, and was somewhat embarrassed by the positive praise he received from the other. "It's more of a spur of the moment kind of thing, anyways!"

"Humility doesn't really suit you, Netto-kun." Hub teased his younger sibling slightly. Perhaps in no small part due to his optimism, Netto tended to have a habit of over-estimating his own abilities when it came to Net Battling. It was the elder of the two that had to remind him to be more cautious and actual stop and consider things before actually going through with them. "Still, it's okay to acknowledge if you've done something particularly impressive, such as devising a plan to defeat a WWW Navi, for example."

"Well, if you put it that way…" Netto stammered for a bit, accepting Hub's suggestion, before the younger boy pouted. "But you didn't have to make it sound like I'm daft all the time!"

"Me? Insinuate that you're too impulsive for your own good?" Hub smiled innocently, patting Netto's head. "How can you even accuse me of that? I would never!"

"Hmph!" Huffing, Netto swatted his elder sibling's hand away. "Alright, I get it! You don't have to be so obvious about it! Geez…" There was another soft murmur, before the younger Hikari spoke up once more. "Well, now that the WWW Navi's been taken care of, we should probably go back upstairs and see if everyone's alright."

"Yes- Let's do that." Hub nodded, moving to unplug his still-unconscious Navi from the tree's system. "We still have to see about this vine problem, though…" While the digi-vines in the cyberworld may have dissipated shortly following Plantsman's deletion, the spiked vines in the real world were still scattered all across the floor and walls of the hospital. It was a bit inconvenient that they would have to walk around the spikes to get where they want to, but he supposed that would have to do for now. "Alright then, plug out-"

Alarms coming from the Tree of Life began blaring once more, and Huh nearly dropped his PET in shock. Netto had gasped and fallen backwards, not expecting the abrupt, loud, commission. "Wh-what is it this time?" It couldn't possibly be another attack following the one from Plantman just now, could it?

In the cyberworld, X had his buster on the ready, just in case if he were to be ambushed by another Navi attempting to hack into the Tree of Life in its weakened stated. Beep and Scuttlest were quick to position themselves next to Zero; now that they were freed from Plantman's vines, they could protect the red Navi from being hurt in the crossfire if it was a virus attack that had triggered the tree's defence systems once more.

" _INTRUDER ALERT!"_ The systems blared.  _"INTRUDER LOCATED IN THE SYSTEM'S CORE… TERMINATING INTRUDER IMMEDIATELY!"_

The walls shifted. The tinted tiles on the walls retracted, creating a line of small openings as dozens of Puffball viruses were being released from the holes; X quickly knew that this was how the Tree of Life dealt with intruders normally, by releasing its own viruses to combat and overwhelm the intruder, preventing them from damaging anything by ejecting them from its core systems. The defense systems had to be disabled somehow when Plantman had hacked into the tree originally, but now that the WWW Navi was deleted, the tree's systems were brought back online.

And the Tree of Life now saw them as the intruders.

"This is bad!" X knew that retreating was the only option. The blue Navi didn't think that he would be able to fight off the sudden hoard of viruses, and even if he were to battle the Puffball viruses, he would most likely cause collateral damage all over the tree's core systems- That was something X definitely wanted to avoid.

"X! What are you waiting for?!" Netto could read the situation just as clearly his NetNavi had, but he was alarmed and confused when X had instead turned and ran towards where Zero had collapsed. Beep and Scuttlest were both clearly intimidated by the swarm of Puffball viruses suddenly appearing, but both were reluctant to move from their spot. "It's dangerous! You have to plug out before you get hurt!"

"Not yet!" X yelled back. "I have to get Beep and Scuttlest out of there, too!"

Netto blinked in realization the moment X had said it. While both X and Zero can be plugged out from the tree's core back into their PETs safely, Beep and Scuttlest were viruses, and the same wouldn't apply to them. Unless they were to be transferred over into their PETs actively, the two viruses would be stuck inside of the tree's core with nowhere to run to.

"Alright- Just make sure you get out of there quickly!"

One of the Puffball viruses had launched their masks at X. The Navi ducked out of the way, wincing slightly when he accidentally caught a glimpse of what the virus actually looked like underneath its mask. Quite unnerving. "It's okay- I've got this-"

A shadow loomed over him, and X knew that he had spoken too soon. With a loud hiss that resembled a low growl, X threw himself to the side, bracing for impact. Not a moment later, the large tail of a BigSnake virus crushed the tiles underneath it. The virus let out a shriek in rage as it searched for its prey, before its bright yellow eyes fell upon X once more. The Navi didn't have so much as a moment to react before the snake virus lunged itself at him, its jaws with gleaming fangs wide open.

X screamed. Then, in a miraculous turn of events, several heart-shaped arrows were shot into the virus' mouth, the snake-like virus recoiling at the impact as the projectiles exploded. Wheezing in pain, the virus slithered away, and X was left in wonderment as he looked for the figure of his timely rescuer among the fading dust. His eyes widened when he saw the distinctive, curled ribbons on the sides of the Navi's head. "Roll?"

There was a slight pause. "...Well, close enough, I suppose."

X's jaw dropped. "M-Mega?!"

The dust began to settle, and even though X had known that the Blue Myth was able to take on the shape of other NetNavies and gain access to their unique abilities, the Navi was not expecting one of the most infamous Navies in the Undernet to take the form of one of his closest friends that he couldn't help but stare. In X's perspective, the Blue Myth, while female, was mostly androgynous in her appearance. It made sense in his mind, as the other Navi's hood usually covered any of her defining features, and all the previous times X had seen her use her ability to take on another Navi's form, she had only done so with male Navies. This was the first time X had seen Mega with more feminine features, and…

X forced himself to look away. The Navi could feel his cheeks heating up. Goddamnit, this was no time for that! "Mega! Watch out for those viruses!"

His warning hadn't come too late. The BigSnake virus had since recovered from the initial damage it sustained, and had circled back, facing the two Navies as it snarled with contempt. This time, it was even backed by the dozens of Puffball viruses. They were being trapped on all sides by the viruses.

The Blue Myth just smiled. Then, she jumped, raising a hand into the air.

"Heart Flash!"

In a puff of pink, the entire core of the Tree of Life was flooded with some strange, calming aura. The viruses attacking them appeared baffled, before becoming drowsy and succumbing to sleep, the Puffball viruses bouncing off the ground slightly as they fell. The vibrations were felt as the BigSnake took a loud yawn, before crumbling onto the floor with a snore. X watched in awe as the Tree of Life's defense systems appear to return dormant. Mega just turned back to him and grinned. Beep and Scuttlest were quick to leap at the Blue Myth, both viruses chirping happily.

"The vines are retreating back into the tree!" Hub took notice of the spiked vines withdrawing from the tiled floors, shrinking in size as they slithered back, before disappearing into the Tree of Life completely.

"Hey-" X blinked. Mega was walking up to him with one of her arms holding Beep, while Scuttlest apparent adamant that the Blue Myth keep her other hand on its forehead, patting him constantly. "Mind if share your PET for a moment? There's something that I have to discuss with you later…"


	194. Bad Omens 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I hate this. You have "Highly damped", which is energy being lost quickly, and you have "Lightly damped", which is energy being lost slowly. BITCH WHY CAN'T IT BE HIGHLY/LOWLY or HEAVILY/LIGHTLY WHY YOU GOTTA DO ME DIRTY LIKE THIS HUH?! FYI my Mom makes the best soup so I'm kind of happy now.

The mud below his feet was beginning to give away, turning into a mixture of puddy and water. As he and Serenade followed the paw marks left behind by the unknown attacker midway up the mountainside, the sky had roared with thunder and started to rain, the light drizzle swiftly turning into heavy pouring.

Forte turned back briefly. Serenade had slowed down in his steps some time ago, and the mightyena worried if the ninetales was having trouble keeping up, being buffered by the rain as they were. "Serenade, are you alright?" He yelled through the noise of the storm.

Serenade's eyes narrowed. His tails curled, and he huffed. "I'll live."

Forte squinted, but said nothing else. Serenade was disillusioned if he truly thought that the mightyena was unable to pick up on his shivering as he became soaked in rainwater, but Forte had decided not to point that out. He knew that Serenade was mostly likely more affected by the cold than he was, but he also knew better than to believe that Serenade would listen to any advice about seeking shelter from the rain; There was no way in hell and back that the ninetales would leave Mamoru, especially given that the boy was very likely in danger right now.

He continued up the mountainside wordlessly, being increasingly wary of losing his footing and falling with each step. He paused, his head perking up as his sensitive ears picked up something among the heavy droning of the rain.

"...I hear water."

Serenade caught up to him, giving him a look that was somehow both annoyed and in disbelief. "What?"

"I said, I hear running water." Forte elaborated, returning Serenade's gaze. "And crying. I think your brat's near, Serenade."

That got Serenade's attention, though there was still something that seemed to bother him. "Running water? What kind of running water would there be on the mountain side?"

"We'll find out." Forte ran ahead. "Hurry!"

* * *

The sound loud roaring quickly overpowered that of the rain as Forte approached a stream, the currents in the water swirling around dangerously, fueled by the heavy downpour. Across the fallen tree that acted as a narrow footpath across the river, Forte finally caught sight of Mamoru. The boy was shaking as he sobbed. Besides him was what the mightyena believed to be the culprit he and Serenade had been looking for.

Serenade snarled, fangs bared. Everyone knew the ninetales was extremely protective of the boy, and it was absolutely unacceptable for anyone to cause Mamoru any sort of distress. The ninetales would never forgive them. " _You._ "

"Looks like our guy." Forte squinted, recognizing the pokemon on the other side of the bank to be that of an Arcanine. That would definitely explain the large paw print that they found.

Serenade took the initiative. The ninetales fully intended to make his way across the makeshift footbridge to his human-child, but the Arcanine must have picked up on Serenade's intentions. Taking Mamoru by his collar, he dragged the terrified child over to the bank of the stream and dangled him over the ledge. The boy screamed before crying harder. "Take one more step, and the brat gets dunked."

The ninetales froze, though that didn't stop the scowl from forming on his face. "Let him go. Whatever you're after, it doesn't concern him."

Either seeing that his scare-tactic had worked, or he didn't want to accidentally slip and lose hold over his leverage, the arcanine yanked Mamoru back over the ledge, pushing the boy onto the wet grass. "Contrary to your believe, it  _does_  concern him." The arcanine flicked his tail. "But don't worry- You can have the brat once I've gotten what I want."

"And what is that?" Forte yelled over the roaring of the stream. The sound was getting obnoxiously loud.

"Well…" The other pokemon appeared to tilt his head slightly. "It's not a 'what', per sey. Perhaps a better word for it would be 'who'..." Then, the arcanine seemed to be pondering over something as his eyes fell upon Forte. "...Perhaps you might be able to help me in that regard."

The mightyena narrow his eyes. Something was up, but Forte just didn't know what it was. "And why do you think I would be able to help?"

"Rockman." The arcanine said completely nonchalantly. "Where is he?"

Forte paused. Serenade turned towards him and their gazes met, both of them baffled, the ninetales even moreso.

"How do you know about him?" Forte was alarmed, to say the least. "And what makes you think I would?"

"Oh, don't give me none of that bullcrap!" The arcanine roared, his calm facade breaking. "You're his new fucktoy, aren't you? You tell me where he is right now!"

"Wh…" There were so many things for Forte to unpack from that one statement alone, that the mightyena wasn't even sure how to react other than in stunned silence.

"What are you even talking about?" Serenade reacted with anger on his part. "If you're just going to insult us when we've never even met before, then maybe you should just shut up!"

The arcanines expression twisted. "Is that your answer?" Turning back, he made another grab for Mamoru. The boy attempted to run, but he was quickly grabbed by his wrist. Serenade actually shrieked in terror when the arcanice flung the human child over the ledge once more, threatening to let the boy fall into the currents below.

"I won't ask again." The arcanine snarled. "Tell me where he is, or I'll drop this brat."

"Alright- alright!" Forte didn't doubt the arcanine's ability to follow up on his threat. He had to take some control of their situation somehow. "Put the kid down. I'll tell you."

The arcanine retracted his arm slightly, but the threat was still very much there. "Alright then- Tell me."

"He's here. Around the mountainside." Forte said. It was where he remembered Rockman disappearing to.

The arcanine didn't look impressed. "He's here." The pokemon sneered, repeating after him. "Here where?"

"...I don't know." Forte admitted. That was the truth. "He was upset and ran. I lost track of him when he went up the mountains."

"..."

For a moment, the arcanine appeared to consider this. Then, his lips pulled down into a scowl. "You'll have to hold back any feelings of shock, but I find myself hard-pressed to believe you."

"I don't know where he is specifically." Forte repeated, as calmly as he possibly could. "I just know he's around the mountainside somewhere."

"And I don't  _believe_  you!" The arcanine gave Mamoru a harsh jerk. The boy was actually crying himself pale. "Say goodbye to your little brat!"

"Mamoru!" Serenade wanted to make a leap for the boy, but the distance between the two banks were too far for him to jump. The ninetales nearly jumped off from the ledge in hopes of catching Mamoru if he were to fall, but Forte stopped him. It wouldn't help either of them; the boy would most likely go into shock from the cold, and the rushing currents would be a death sentence to Serenade if the ninetales fell into it. There had to be something else they can do!

" _Stop!_ "

The Arcanine had just been about to hurl Mamoru off the side of the riverbank when a fourth voice yelled out. He froze. Forte and Serenade turned, looking to where the voice had come from behind them. Rockman had come out from within the surrounding foliage, his white fur completely soaked and dripping from the rain. His singular, curved horn gleaming in the dim light.

"Rockman…?" Forte couldn't quite believe it. The absol was actually here right now! But why…?

The absol ignored his shock. Instead, Rockman walked past Forte and Serenade to face the arcanine on the other side of the stream.

"I'm… I'm here, like you wanted." Rockman said, attempting to speak through the light tremors wracking his body. "Now let Mamoru go!"


	195. Chapter 159

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Bad Omens doujinshi update:
> 
> -Fixed some typos
> 
> -Rockman now twice as insufferable
> 
> Also, my Mom made salmon soup today. Yum.

"Urghnn…" Zero groaned as he slowly blinked awake. His body felt heavy, and there was a dull throbbing at the back of his head. Then, the abruptly recalled what he had been doing.

"Ah!" Zero leapt to his feet, ignoring the dizzying buzz ringing in his ears as he did so. "Damnit! He got me- Woah!"

"Zero!" A hand grabbed onto his arm, supporting him just as the red Navi had been bout to tumble over in his haste. "Careful- Are you alright?" X asked him

"I'm fine!" Zero insisted, struggling to steady himself on his feet. It was only several moments later did he notice that they were no longer in the Tree of Life's core systems. "Wh… Where are we?"

"Zero! You're awake!" The holographic image of his operator appeared beside him. Hub had apparently noticed the commotion coming from his PET. "Everything's alright now- The crisis with the Tree of Life was averted! We're back in the hospital room right now."

"The hospital room…?" Zero gradually regained his balance. "So that means we're in the room's computer right now…"

The Navi directed his gaze elsewhere when he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. Roll was still in the hospital room's computer system with Maylu, obviously, but there was another Navi that Zero had not expected to see.

"She actually saved us once we took care of Plantman." X explained, albeit somewhat sheepishly. "When Plantman was deleted, the original defense systems in the Tree of Life actually got reactivated. Mega got us out of there just in time."

"How convenient." Zero rolled his eyes. Mega and Roll appeared to be conversing about something. The red Navi couldn't really make out what, but he couldn't help but narrow his eyes in suspicion at the Undernet Navi.

X just gave him an embarrassed grin. Meanwhile, the two female Navies appeared to have noticed that Zero had woke up. Mega was the first to approach him, the cloaked Navi having returned to her original form shortly after the scuffle in the Tree of Life. "I'm glad you're alright, Zero!" She beamed. "You were out for so long, I was beginning to get worried."

"Well, I'm fine." Zero crossed his arms, sighing. "So what's the occasion this time?"

"Just to clear up some things." Mega's smile faltered, her expression shifting into one more concerned. The Undernet Navi appeared to hold herself as she averted her gaze from the other Navies. "...Look, there's something I really need to apologize to you two for."

"Huh?" X blinked, his mind drawing a blank. "What is it?"

"I'm, uh…" The cloaked Navi bowed her head, the shadow cast from her hood only slightly hiding her blush. "I'm sorry. About pushing you away."

"I should have realized that all you wanted to do was to offer me help." Mega continued when she saw the confused expression of the rest of the NetNavies. "And it was wrong of me, to push you away, just because I was afraid that you two- Or your operators- would get hurt if you got involved…"

X's breath hitched when Mega looked back up, her green eyes gleaming slightly. "... But I realized I didn't make things any better. For any of us. I only cared about what I thought, but never considered what you might have been thinking, so…"

As the Undernet Navi faltered slightly in her speech, Zero coughed awkwardly. The Navi was expecting another information dump, unraveling something else that could very well potentially doom the entire cyberworld. He definitely hadn't expected something quite so… sentimental. In contrast, X just continued to stare dumbly, as if the Navi was having trouble believing that what was happening was actually reality.

"S-so!" Mega was visibly forcing herself to continue. "I'm… I'm really sorry about that. About everything." She looked away once more, somewhat ashamed. "...Can you forgive me?"

"M-Mega! Are you serious?!" X blurted out instantly. "Oh my god- You idiot!" For a moment, it appeared as if the blue Navi had wanted to hit her on the shoulder, but he retracted his fist awkwardly after a prolonged pause. "I don't know what you're apologizing for- But I forgive you, okay?! Now can we finally work together to bring down WWW and Alpha?!"

"X, I…" A small smile had crossed Mega's face, before she turned to look at the other Navi besides X.

"..." Zero shrugged. "L-look… I'll admit, it was annoying with how secretive you were being with the entire Alpha incident thing…" The Navi scratched at the back of his head, almost uncomfortably. "But aside from that, I don't have that much of a problem with you. So I guess you're okay."

The look of shock was quickly replaced with that of hopefulness. "...Thankyou. Both of you." Swinging both her arms so that they were now brought behind her, the Blue Myth smiled. "So… Does the offer to help me still stand…?" She looked towards X shyly.

"Are you kidding me?!" The Undernet Navi actually jumped. It was Netto this time. "With your help, WWW or Alpha don't stand a chance!" The image then showed the Hikari boy turn to look at something off-screen. "Nii-san! What do you say?"

"U-uh!" It was obvious that Hub hadn't expected for Netto to turn the question onto him like he had. "Well… You're not wrong. It'll definitely be a lot easier to face whatever WWW's planning head on with the Blue Myth's help…"

"Then it's settled!" Looking back towards the camera, Netto gave the group a thumbs up. "WWW and Alpha better watch out- We're coming for them!"

The atmosphere was suddenly lightened, and the group can be somewhat forgiven for thinking that their problems were now temporarily over. Having remained silent during the entirety of their exchange, Roll finally reached out, touching the back of Mega's hand.

"I envy you." The pink Navi smiled, albeit somewhat bitterly. "...You better make sure nothing happens to X or Zero, okay?"

The two aforementioned Navi froze up, abruptly recalling the conversation that they'd had with Maylu and Roll before the Tree of Life had basically went haywire. Miraculously, Mega didn't appear bothered. Instead, she took Roll's hand, clutching it tightly.

"Of course I will, Roll." The Undernet Navi said, eyes shimmering. "And you're in this fight along with us as well!"

"E-eh?" The pink Navi just stared, confused. "Wh… What are you talking about?" She laughed, trying to make sense of what the Blue Myth had just said. "I'm not actually fighting…"

"Well, not physically, no." Mega tilted her head, as if confused by why Roll would point out something so clearly obvious. "But that doesn't mean you're not in this battle with us!"

"That… That doesn't make sense…"

"Why not?" The Blue Myth shrugged. "Why do you think X and Zero are so determined to defeat WWW?" The Undernet Navi grinned mysteriously, allowing Roll a brief moment to consider her words before continuing. "It's because of you- and because of everyone! You're the reason why they fight, and that's how you give them their strength, don't you see?"

"…" It was obvious that the pink Navi hadn't even considered such as a possibility before. Slowly, she turned towards X and Zero, asking them a silent question for confirmation.

"That's- That's right!" X beamed. That was what he'd felt all along- But he had just been unable to put it into words until now! "It's because of you, and everyone else! Why else would we fight, otherwise?"

"I…" Roll covered her mouth, her hands shaking. Then, without warning, she began crying, Mega letting out something in between a gasp and a squeak as the pink Navi hugged her.

"...Man…" Zero whispered softly to X. "I should've guessed that the only person that can understand a girl would be another girl."


	196. Chapter 160

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Writing Shadowman after a break in his appearance suddenly reminded me that at a certain point in the future he becomes really snarky and I can't wait to get to that point now.

"Mistress!"

Rockman was slightly startled when he heard Shadowman calling out to him, the other walking up to him with quick strides, and Rockman had looked away, attempting to hide the small smile forming on his face underneath his cloak. It was several days since the shadow Navi had offered him his advice on how to tackle the whole ordeal with WWW reviving Alpha and Forte's sudden disappearance, and Rockman couldn't help but feel… cared for. Content despite his ongoing grievances.

He kicked himself mentally. Shadowman was right. He was an idiot for trying to close everyone off and deal with everything on his lonesome. It had done nothing but to make himself feel worse while making his friends even more concerned for his sake.

"I'm alright, everything turned out great." Rockman said, before Shadowman could ask. "I'm still not too sure about what should be done after now, but I'm feeling a lot more confident about it. For sure."

"I was not…" Shadowman began, protesting weakly, but he stopped when Rockman just shot him a knowing look. There was a light sigh as Shadowman relented. "...I am glad that you are well, my Mistress."

"I have you to thank, too!" Rockman bit his lips, somewhat abashed. "I mean, if you hadn't told me what you'd said, then I probably wouldn't have realized that what I was doing was harmful…" His posture swayed slightly. "...If I've also caused you to worry about me… I hadn't meant for that to happen, and I'm sorry for that, too."

"There's nothing to apologize for, my Mistress." Shadowman was quick to answer. "I am more than happy to lend you my power. In fact, I cannot express how grateful I am that you would consider my humble words."

Rockman's lips pursed slightly. "Alright, alright, you don't have to put it like that. I told you that it's alright if you tell me what you think, did I? Stop making me feel embarrassed by saying stuff like this."

"Mistress." It was just a single word, but it was probably the closest Rockman believed he would see to Shadowman outwardly expressing his own emotions.

"That being said…" Rockman's look turned concerned. Even if he's decided to work with his friends in order to bring down the second WWW and the Alpha Beast, that didn't mean that his problems were just suddenly over. He still needed some sort of plan to approach the terrorist organization… And his renegade mate.

Shadowman caught on instantly. "What do you have in mind, Mistress?"

"...I've also been thinking about the other things you've told me." Besides from Shadowman's more heartfelt conversation with him, the other Navi had also dropped by on multiple occasions, keeping Rockman updated on whatever new information regarding the issues of their concern that he managed to dig up. "So… When I went to the surface net, I've also asked them of something else."

"If what we know is true… Then there's still two Tetra Codes left out there." Rockman paused, frowning. He didn't like the implication that half of the four keys which would basically unleash devastation among the cyberworld were left unaccounted for- Even if WWW and Forte only had one of the codes respectively. "We have to get to them, before anyone else can."

Shadowman nodded in silent agreement. "Which of the ones are we going for, first?"

"We'll be looking for the one that the scientists had hidden somewhere in the Deep Web."

The Deep Web was a subsection of the Undernet, yet unlike the Undernet, where certain small communities of NetNavies were still active and roaming, NetNavies were completely absent from the Deep Web. Instead, that area of the net was dominated by harsh terrains, and viruses so dangerous a single misstep could very well mean deletion.

In fact, it was somewhat due to a surprising amount of luck that Shadowman had learnt that one of the two remaining Tetra Codes was hidden in such a place. Though he was hesitant to admit it, Rockman discovered that it was somehow thanks to Swallowman's hollering; The bird Navi had never really been good about keeping a conversation down, and his loud bickering had drawn the attention of some WWW grunts that decided the bird Navi appeared to be at best a possible witness and at worst, a potential competitor of the Tetra Codes. They approached him and Shadowman and instigated a fight.

Unfortunately for them, they had severally misjudged the abilities of their opponents.

"Let me accompany you." Shadowman quickly offered. "I believe we may be able to locate the code quicker that way."

"Of course." Rockman brought a hand to his cheek, considering the thought. "...It would definitely be a lot safer that way. We can watch each other's backs." The blue Navi tilted his head. "Maybe Beep and Scuttlest can come along to?"

"...How would they benefit?"

"I don't know." Rockman shrugged, somewhat nonchalantly. "They're good at tracking down things, aren't they?"

"..."

Shadowman fell strangely quiet. Rockman was confused by the sudden lapse in their conversation before realizing that Shadowman might have understood his words as a reference to the time when he had been sealed and hidden inside of data storage container within the Undernet, unintentionally implying that he didn't believe that the shadow Navi was good enough at his job. "I- I didn't mean it like that!"

"No, I understand it, my Mistress." Shadowman shook his head, showing that he wasn't offended by what Rockman had said. "You are correct. They would be able to locate the codes quicker than I can."

Rockman breathed an internal sigh of relief. "I'm glad you're okay with it." He smiled.

"I suppose it would be wise for us to bring along that obnoxious bird, then." Shadowman squinted as he continued. That had caught Rockman off guard- He thought that Shadowman, at the very least, disliked Swallowman. The blue Navi had actually been wondering himself how he was going to convince Shadowman to consider allowing (though, perhaps the better word should really be tolerating) Swallowman to tag along with them.

...Perhaps he was mistaken?

"He has other uses." Shadowman elaborated once he saw the baffled look on Rockman's face.

"Other uses?" What did that mean?

It was Shadowman's turn to shruge. "The Deep Web is infested with viruses. A convenient distraction would be strategically advantageous for us."

"..."

Did… Did Shadowman just suggest that they could potentially, possibly, leave Swallowman out as bait in case they were to be overwhelmed by viruses…?

"I- I'm sure it won't come to that!" Rockman laughed, somewhat nervously. He decided to change the subject. "We can discuss the details of that later."

The other Navi took note of his verbal cue. "What about the other Tetra Code, Mistress?" They had a plan to deal with the one currently in the Deep Web. What about the other one?

"Ah!" Rockman gasped, reacting as if he had forgotten, and was just now being reminded of such. "It's alright- I've got that covered already."

Shadowman was able to deduce what the blue Navi was suggesting from that alone. "You told those two twins where the final Tetra Code was."

"Uh-huh." Rockman nodded, his grin returning. "...Considering the location that it's at, they're probably much better suited to look for it there than I am."

With that, the Navi walked past Shadowman, only turning to beckon the other to follow. "Come on! Let's go get the others; The sooner we can come up with a plan, the sooner we can locate the Tetra Code and make sure it doesn't fall into WWW's hands!"


	197. Bad Omens 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So today I was having a conversation with myself, and my brain asked me that since Forte is basically a real-life equivalent of a dog and doctor Cossack is technically a vet do you think he might have "fixed" Forte and this serves no purpose other than to torture anyone who happens to read this. You're welcome.

Rockman approached the ledge carefully. The ears on the Arcanine's head had perked, showing his surprise or interest. He settled Mamoru back onto the grass, but kept one hand on the boy still. His tail gave a small flick.

"Come here."

"No!" The absol had hissed. Somewhat in anger, but perhaps also in fright. Forte couldn't really tell which. "Not until you let Mamoru go-"

"I'm sorry, but did I  _fucking stutter!?_ " The arcanine roared, his voice thundering in the rain. Mamoru had made a small noise and shrunk into himself. At this point, the boy had been too terrified, too exhausted to cry anymore. The snarl from Serenade was obvious. The ninetales had been keeping his eyes on the human-child the entire time. "Either you get over here right now, or this brat will be going for a swim!"

"Rockman." Forte was conflicted. He wanted to save Mamoru just as much as Serenade did, but as of this moment, it seemed that it was the absol who held the most bargaining power out of the three of them, thus to most control over their situation, no matter how little that may be. He didn't want Rockman to do what the arcanine was telling him to, but at this point, it was up to the absol to call the shots.

"..." Rockman fell quiet. He turned to Forte, then to Serenade. The absol appeared to be considering something. "...I won't do it." Rockman's voice was quiet, as if he was trying to convince himself that it was the correct answer, before he looked back at the Aracine on the opposite side of the stream. "I won't do it! Not until you let the human-child go!"

"What?" The arcanine's tone had changed. He was visibly more confused than enraged.

"I don't trust you! What if I go over, and you just decide to toss him over anyways?" Rockman's eyes narrowed. His posture was tense. Rigid and defensive, but at least he was speaking for himself. "If you don't let Mamoru go right now, I'll run away. You'll never be able to catch me."

The arcanine's expression remained shocked, before his lips twisted into a grin. Then, as if deranged, he began laughing.

"I see- So this is how it's going to be?" The arcanine's fangs gleamed dangerously. "You think you're tough shit or something, now that you've found yourself a fuck-buddy?" The smile then shifted into a deep scowl. "Well- You're  _wrong!_  You're  _mine!_  I  _own you!_ "

For once, there was only the sounds of rain pounding and the water rushing as pokemon on both sides of the bank grew quiet.

"What in the actual fuck…" Serenade muttered under his breath.

"You think he knows you like I do? You think he understands you like I do?" The arcanine had continued with his frantic screaming. "Don't make me laugh! You're nothing but a good lay!"

"Fucking shit…" It was Forte's turn to wince. There was now no doubt in the mightyena's mind that the other pokemon was, at the very least, some parts insane.

"And  _you._ " Perhaps catching on to his whisper, the arcanine now directed his attention towards Forte. "It's cute how you pretend to care. But let's face it. The truth is that you can't stand him. You think he's annoying. Insufferable." The arcanine snorted, the action highly exaggerated. "Admit it! You're only keeping him around because you think he's a good little drone- You only like him because he does anything you say!" There was another series of cackling. "You fool. What will happen when he inevitably brings about another disaster? I hope you didn't hurt him too badly that first time around."

Forte could only stare in a mixture of disbelief and bafflement as he listened to the arcanine's ramblings, but the final statement had caught his attention.

' _What did he mean about me hurting Rockman after the first disaster he's caused?'_  Forte frowned, his tail flicking in thought.  _'It's almost as if he knew about the house fire-'_

Wait.

Arcanines were fire types, weren't they?

' _...Mother fucker!'_

"Forte…!" Rockman had saw his change in composure from bafflement to near-explosive rage and became concerned. The absol looked towards Forte. "I… It wasn't me. I didn't do it, Forte. I would never…"

The absol physically shrunk back when Forte glanced towards him, the realization and hatred in his eyes terrifying to him when he suspected that the mightyena's emotions were directed towards him.

"We'll talk about this later." Forte knew he should be ashamed that he had accused Rockman like he did without evidence, or at least feel bad for making the absol fear him, but he was having a hard time keeping his anger in check. He nearly lost his father in that house fire. He didn't want Serenade to lose someone important to him by acting irrationally like he had to Rockman. Once was enough, and he still needed to atone for that, after they've taken care of this bastad. "Right now, we have to get Mamoru out of there."

There was only a brief moment of hesitation, before the absol pulled himself back together. "Fine. I'll go over." Rockman yelled over the stream. "But you have to bring the human-child over half-way. I'll only leave with you, then."

"And what makes you think you have the leverage to bargain with me?" The arcanine sneered.

"Because you want me, right?!" Rockman snarled, his fangs baring. "So these are my terms- If you don't like it, then I'll run! If you drop the human-child, I'll run! You won't ever see me again!"

It was the other's turn to fall quiet. He was clearly displeased, but with a final snort, the aracine took ahold of the boy once more.

"Fine. You want the brat, you can have him. But you'll have to meet me halfway."

"Rockman." Seeing that they were finally getting somewhere, Serenade turned to the absol. "Don't do anything crazy. He still has Mamoru."

"I won't…" Rockman said, his voice soft. "You'll get Mamoru back soon. I promise."

Slowly, the absol approached the makeshift bridge and stepped onto it, balancing some of his weight onto the trunk of the fallen tree, making absolute certain that he would not fall, before taking another small step forward. The arcanine had also begun approaching the central point of the bridge, making certain to crouch and keep his body low as he advanced. Either out of fear or common sense, Mamoru did not struggled when the pokemon continued dragging him forward. Forte and Serenade watched on in unnerving suspense.

Rockman was the first to speak once the two pokemon were directly facing each other. "Put him down."

Mamoru was settled onto the trunk, but the arcanine still kept a hand on the boy. "I'll release him once you come with me."

"Fine…" Rockman's tail was raised in alarm, twitching nervously, and it caught Forte' attention. "If you want me to go with you… Then I will!"

Then, with a yell, Rockman pounced. The absol had leapt over the boy, slamming both hands into the arcanine's chest. Normally, it wouldn't have much effect, but the slight stumble that he had caused for the arcanine was enough to send him tumbling over the edge.

"Mamoru!" Serenade caught onto what was happening. He leapt over to where the boy was and grabbed him before the human-child could fall off the side of the tree as well.

The absol was not as lucky. Forte watched in horror as Rockman fell.

"Rockman!"

"For-" That was all Rockman had managed to get out, before the water pulled him under and he was swept away by the currents.


	198. Chapter 161 (Deep Web)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: No, you guys don't get a Halloween special. Bad Omens update Patch: 1. Forte no longer has an internal crisis. 2. Rockman is even more insufferable.

"Achoo!"

Shadowman turned to the culprit. The expression was hidden underneath his mask, but it was clear that the shadow Navi was scowling. "Can you at least try not to draw attention towards us?"

"Soooorreeee." Swallowman rubbed his nose. "It's not my fault that the sand here is killing me."

Rockman suppressed his giggle when the inevitable bickering between the two other Navies began anew, though this time in reasonably hushed tones; Despite Swallowman's apparent aloofness, the bird Navi wasn't dumb. Just like both Rockmand and Shadowman, the bird Navi knew how dangerous the Deep Web was. It was in his best interests not to attract any viruses from the area, if he didn't want to be deleted.

Smiling, Rockman placed a hand against Scuttlest's head. The virus had grown so large that it was possible for the blue Navi to lean against the virus as they navigated the barren terrain of the Deep Web. The wind howled, kicking up clouds of dust and sand in occasional intervals. The bug-like viruses eyes would narrow whenever the gust picked up, but asides from that, it remained unaffected. If anything, Scuttlest was more than willing to shield Rockman from the gust, going up and huddling against the blue Navi whenever the wind got too strong. Scuttlest was less willing to offer Beep the same treatment, however. The larger virus had attempted to shake the smaller virus off several times, growling and clicking in annoyance when it appeared that Beep wanted a free ride off his back. It was only after Rockman had convinced him that the Mettaur would had trouble walking through the barren sand otherwise did Scuttlest finally relent, though the bug-like virus had also made it extremely clear that it was just for this one time, and one time only.

So now Beep had plopped himself down onto Scuttlest's back, while the bug-virus and Rockman were leading the group at the front as they looked for any traces of the Tetra Code. Shadowman and Swallowman followed them from behind, acting as lookouts, in case any viruses caught onto their trail… Though, the two of them were probably more focused on arguing at this point in time.

"How long have we been wandering around this place, anyways?" Rockman heard Swallowman groan out from behind him. "Urgh. At this point, I'm actually  _slightly_  hoping for a virus to just jump out and attack us- I could definitely use the excitement instead of being all bored around here…"

"..."

The sudden quietness had piqued Rockman's interest. Shadowman usually had a comeback to anything the bird Navi said. It was unusual that the shadow Navi would be left speechless during an argument with Swallowman.

"Mistress." Shadowman's tone had gone from mild annoyance to extreme concern in an instant. "Something is not right."

"Huh?" Rockman turned. He hadn't noticed any viruses thus far! "What is it?"

"This idiot bird is correct." Shadowman glared at Swallowman for a brief moment, ignoring the "Wait; I am?" coming from the other Navi before he continued. "The Deep Web is supposed to be infected with viruses, yet somehow, we have yet to run into one."

He blinked, cupping the side of his face with his palm. The blue Navi had never considered the absence of Deep Web viruses to be something of concern- In fact, he had been thinking that they had to be lucky somehow to avoid an encounter with these dangerous viruses thus far! But now that Shadowman had pointed it out… Rockman supposed that it  _was_  suspicious, to say the least.

"...You're right. That's strange." Rockman nodded in agreement. Swallowman made a small sound of objection, insisting that he was the one who had been correct. Shadowman even acknowledged as much. "Why do you think that is?"

"There are only two possibilities that I know of." Shadowman said. Behind him, Swallowman gave an exaggerated sigh and tossed both his hands up in defeat. "The first, is that the weak fear the strong; The viruses might have been intimidated by us, thus refused a confrontation."

He heard Scuttlest gave a small chirrup in pride. Beep rolled its eyes. "And the second one?"

"The second one…" Shadowman frowned. It was as if the Navi himself was intimidated by this possibility. "Someone else had come here before us, and took care of all of the viruses here."

Rockman gasped. "Could it be-"

The blue Navi was interrupted by a loud shriek from overhead. A shadow was looming over them. Shadowman sprung into action instantly. "Mistress, watch out!"

Leaping over, the shadow Navi took Rockman by his shoulders, getting the both of them to a safe distance just before something huge collapsed from the sky. Beep was the first to scrambled out from within the cloud of dust, with Scuttlest trailing after it just moments later, making nervous chattering noises.

"Fuck!" There was a series of coughing from within the dust cloud. It was Swallowman. "Shit! Some warning would have been ni…"

"Swallowman…?" Rockman grew concerned when the bird Navi gradually fell silent. The other wasn't hurt, was he?

"Holy shit." His tone had changed. Instead of amusement or mild indifference, the bird Navi actually sounded disturbed. "Holy fuck. I changed my mind. I'm glad we never ran into any one of these things. Shit."

As the dust settled, Rockman could see what Swallowman had meant. The bird Navi was fortunate enough not to be squashed, but the thing was still large enough that he had been knocked over as it collided onto the ground, shaking the area violently. Another look had told Rockman that the fallen object was a Lavagon virus, but it was unlike any of its surface or Undernet counter parts; The dragon-virus was  _huge_ \- Probably twice, if not thrice as large as its other variants that Rockman had seen up to this point, and instead of a bright, vibrant red, this Lavagon virus had scales that were a deep, muddy crimson, while spines and spikes were aligned along its back and wings. It was definitely not a thing to be reckoned with.

Rockman couldn't quite suppress a shiver upon remembering that all of the viruses inhabiting the Deep Web were probably just as- if not more- dangerous and vicious than this Lavagon virus.

"It is alive, still." Shadowman squinted as the Lavagon raised its head slightly. All over its body were large gashes with broken data spilling out and disappearing into thin air, but the dragon-virus was still holding on, wheezing as its bright, golden eyes stared at the group of Navies. A low hissing sound escaped its jaw. Swallowman scrambled to get away from the virus, while Shadowman snorted. "How… unyielding."

However, Rockman's gaze was focused solely on the wounds of the Lavagon virus. There was a pounding in his chest, and the blue Navi looked up. Dark clouds were swirling from where the virus had fallen from.

There was only one Navi Rockman knew of that was capable of such damage.

"Forte." The other two Navies and viruses turned to him. Rockman spoke again, this time louder, with more affirmation. "It's Forte. It has to be."

Then, Rockman had leapt into the air, using the currents as leverage as he flew up to where he suspected the dark Navi to be.


	199. Chapter 162

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm going to be spending the rest of the day tomorrow writing my research paper on shadow education. It's been something of an interest of mine ever since some of my secondary school teachers had shown outwards contempt towards those kinds of non-mainstream, government-funded education.

There was a heavy pounding in his chest, one that Rockman- while familiar with- hadn't felt in a long time. Back when he and Forte were still on opposite, or blurred sides on the battlefield, there was always this strange, ominous feeling that slowly began to boil within him, whenever the Black Shadow was about to appear. It had to be Forte; he was the only ever Navi to be able to stir such an emotion within him. It felt nostalgic, in a way; intimate, but terrifyingly suffocating at the same time.

The blue Navi stopped once the clouds parted, revealing an elevated plateau area in the Deep Web. Wordlessly, he allowed himself to drop down onto the rocky terrain, following the faded trail that led towards the distance with his gaze. "Forte."

He saw the cloaked figure pause. It was Forte. It had to be.

"Forte." He repeated again, this time louder. When the Navi had turned, the crimson eyes looking directly at him, Rockman felt another surge of mixed emotions; There was the relief and slight hopefulness- Forte was alright! He'd finally found him, after all this time! Rockman had missed him. Maybe he can figure out what was going on- but there was also the feelings of understandable doubt and unease; Something had to have happened to make the dark Navi disappear for so long. What was it? What did it have to do with the Tetra Codes? And why was Forte doing this?

The questions were still lingering as he approached Forte. The dark Navi kept quiet, merely watching him intently once Rockman had gotten close to him, and the blue Navi wasn't sure where to begin.

"...Forte." He decided to start with the obvious. "...it's been a long time, hadn't it?"

"What are you doing here, Mega?" Forte asked him. Rockman shrunk back, his eyes wide with hurt and disbelief.

"What am  _I_  doing here?" Rockman repeated with a laugh; He couldn't help it, the question just seemed so ludicrous in his mind. "What about  _you_ , Forte?! What are you doing here?" When the other didn't reply immediately, Rockman huffed. "You don't have to tell me. I know why. It's because of the Tetra Code. You have it, don't you?"

The Navi averted his gaze. "So, you know about that, huh."

"I would prefer not to have learnt it the way I had!" Rockman glared. He couldn't help the boiling anger within him. "Did you know how scared I was? How worried I had been? You attacked me and put me in that storage container for no reason. When I was freed, you had disappeared, nowhere to be found. I hadn't the slightest clue what was happening. How did you think I would have felt?"

"..."

"Forte, listen." Rockman sighed, clenching and unclenching his fists. His emotions were getting the better of him again. "I… I don't want this to go on. I'll admit that there's still a lot that I don't understand; I don't know why you've decided to go after the Tetra Codes so suddenly, or what you're planning on doing with them… But I want you to tell me." Rockman bit his lips when he saw that the other Navi was still avoiding eye contact with him. "... I don't know what's going on, Forte, or what is it that you might be going through. But I won't just leave you alone, you know that. Whatever it is that you're facing, if you tell me, I would help in any way I can… But you  _have_  to tell me, Forte!" Rockman paused, closing his eyes briefly when his voice had cracked towards the end. "...You can't just do something like this without telling me, Forte. It's not fair to me. Please."

"...I know you must have felt terrible, Mega." Forte finally looked at him. "And I'm sorry for that. But I can't tell you what I'm doing."

"Wh…" Rockman hadn't expected such an answer. "Wh-why not?"

"Because I know you, Mega." Forte gave him a small smile, though it was one more of resignment than anything. "And I know you'll never agree with what I'm doing. In fact, had I told you, you would have tried to stop me."

"Then why did you do it?!" Panic swelled up in his chest- What was so bad that Forte actually felt the need to hide it from Rockman? "If you knew I would have been against it, then why did you do it?"

Forte sighed. "It's just something that has to be done."

"So that was your plan all along?!" Reaching a hand out, the blue Navi grabbed Forte by his cloak. Forte appeared visibly startled. The Navi must have not expected such an aggressive action from someone who he had perceived to be rather gentle. "You knew I would object to whatever it is that you're doing, so that's why you attacked me and forced me into that storage bank?" The blue Navi shook increasingly with rage the more he spoke. How could he not? How could Forte do something like this to him and not expect him to be angry? "That way, you could avoid me getting in the way of whatever it is that you have planned!"

He didn't need a verbal answer from the other. Rockman knew his guess had been correct when Forte remained oddly quiet, looking away once more.

"So when had you been planning on telling me?" Rockman pressed, his grip tightening.

"...I never wanted you to get involved." Forte admitted. "It wasn't anything you should have been concerned with."

"Then you were planning to keep me trapped in there until- Until when?!" Rockman was seething at this point. "You can't do this, Forte. You have to tell me what's going on, right now."

Forte just smiled. "I'm sorry, Mega."

Then, with a flick of his hand, the dark Navi's cloak had parted. A dark figure leapt out, and Rockman had loosened his hold on Forte in shock. With a shriek, Gospel had swiped at him with its claws, knocking him onto the ground. The multi-bug organism followed up with a snarl, lunging towards the downed Navi with its mawl open, fangs bared. Petrified by fright, Rockman raised a hand over himself, fully expecting to be bitten when a sudden force slammed into Gospel, knocking it to the side.

There was a series of furious clicks when Scuttlest slammed the full weight of its body against the multi-bug organism once more, but this time Gospel had saw the virus coming. Both the bug and virus had grown, nearly matching each other in size and strength, so Gospel had no trouble biting down onto one of Scuttlest's legs, yanking at the appendage in an attempt to take the virus out from underneath. The virus and bug continued biting and clawing at each other as they rolled around, dragging up bits of dirt and kicking up clouds of dust as they fought.

Stunned by the turn of events, Rockman just managed to recover when he saw that the two were getting dangerously close to the edge and falling off from the plateau.

"Scuttlest- No!" He tried to warn the virus, but it was too late. Scuttlest had lost its balance as one of its legs slipped across the edge, sending both virus and bug tumbling down the steep ledge in an instant.


	200. Bad Omens 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey guys, just letting you know that we're nearing the end of Bad Omens. I wish you guys had a good time with this spinoff, and the next one will probably begin some time after the Alpha arc. Thanks.

"Fuck!" Forte was looking frantically over the ledge. All he saw were the rushing currents. "Rockman?!"

He went further down the stream, hoping to find the absol. There was still nothing.

"Forte, it's too late." Serenade spoke softly. The ninetales was still shaken by what happened, but he didn't want to startle Mamoru any further. "There's no way that absol can still be here. The water must have taken him elsewhere."

The mightyena let out another series of curses. He knew that! So why was he being in denial?

"I'm going after him." Forte hissed, ridden with anger and guilt.

"You're going to jump into the river after him?" Serenade gave him a look of disbelief, wrapping his tails around Mamoru tighter. "You're not going to find him that way- Chances are, you'll just drown yourself!"

"I'll follow the river downstream." Forte decided. He looked at Serenade, then at the human-child still shaking in his arms. "You go back to town and get him some help."

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine!" With a snort, the mightyena sprung, making his way down the mountainside as quickly as he could given the rain pounding against his body and the unstable terrain underneath his feet.

* * *

Much time had passed- more than Forte's liking- before the mightyena spotted something. He was near the base of the mountainside, where the water gradually stopped their downwards trek from the hilltop and pooled around the leveled area before traveling elsewhere. On one of the bends of the river, where the currents were slowed down considerably, Forte took notice of several claw marks from the side of the bank onto the muddy land. Someone had climbed their way out from the water.

Forte's ears perked. The tracks were faded and smudged by the rain, and the mightyena just managed to follow the markings into a cracked opening on the side of the mountain. The den was damp, with rain occasionally seeping in from the ceiling, and as Forte made his way in deeper, his eyes fell upon the small figure huddled up against a corner, shaking violently.

He went over and touched the pokemon's back. Rockman's fur was completely drenched, and Forte bit back a curse when he felt how cold the other was; It was a miracle that Rockman had managed to muster up enough strength to pull himself out from the stream and find shelter, but if Forte didn't do anything about his temperature soon, the absol might actually be in danger of freezing to death.

Briefly, Forte considered the possibility of carrying the absol back to his town for help, but the mightyena quickly decided against it. The rain had yet to let up despite its harsh downpour, and Forte doubted that Rockman would be able to hold out in the cold until they reached town. Besides, from what he had gathered from Serenade and from his own deductions… Having the human population of the town see Rockman was probably a bad idea.

So, he did the next thing that came to mind. Slumping down besides Rockman, Forte wound one arm over Rockman's waist, hoping that his own body heat would be enough for the absol to hold onto, at least until the rain had stopped and he was able to get actual help. The movement appeared to have woken the other pokemon, and Rockman protested, thrashing around weakly. "Nnh. Nhuh."

"Rockman, it's me."

The absol paused. Shuffling around, Rockman looked at him, and though it was obvious that the other can see him, something in Rockman's gaze told Forte that the absol was not completely there. The cold must have seeped into his mind. "Fuh, Forte…?"

"Don't move." Forte told him softly. "You're too cold. I'll hold you until we can go get you some help, alright?"

The absol gave him a dazed look, but seemed to- at least, in some part- understood what he had just said. Smiling lazily, Rockman began snuggling up closer against him, purring as his tail flopped once in content. "Hanh. Warm."

"..."

Sighing, Forte just looked away, feeling the shaky breaths and light tremors of the other pokemon against him. The mightyena had just been about to settle down and make himself comfortable as he waited for the rain to stop when the absol spoke again.

"I'm glad you're here, Forte. You're so nice. I like you so much." Rockman was murmuring, rubbing his cheek against Forte's fur. "Please don't leave. I didn't mean what I said. I was just so scared and so angry that I didn't know what I was saying. Please don't hate me, Forte. I didn't mean any of it…"

He realized that Rockman must be referring to their argument directly after the house fire. "...I don't hate you." Forte admitted. "And I'm not angry about what you said. I shouldn't have just hit you without reason. I should be the one sorry for that."

"Okay." Rockman giggled. "I'm glad. I was scared, too, Forte. I guess that was why we both did things we didn't mean. Hmn. Now that we've both done something that we shouldn't have, does that make us equal?" The absol giggled again.

Forte raised an eyebrow. Was it just him, or was the absol being unusually… uninhibited about what he said?

The mightyena swallowed unconsciously. He might be taking advantage of the absol while the other was vulnerable… but he had to know something.

"Rockman… Who was that arcanine just now?"

"You mean Breakman?" The absol yawned. Now that his shaking had subsided, it seemed that the other pokemon was more tired than anything. "He's my mate. But like, not now. You know, like in the past."

"He was your ex?"

"Yeah." Rockman nodded, closing his eyes sleepily. "Something like that."

Forte wasn't sure what to do with this new information. He couldn't think of anything else other than question what the absol had been thinking when he made the decision to become mated to the arcanine.

"Why did you mate yourself to him?"

"Hnmmm…" The absol stretched one of his arms, frowning slightly. "I dunno. It just, kind of happened."

'What?" Forte gave Rockman a look. Not that the absol could see it. "What do you mean it 'just happened'?"

Rockman blinked one of his eyes open, glancing up at the mightyena. "Back when Papa disappeared… I was still waiting for him where he left me by the mountainside. I waited and waited, but he never came back. I was so scared, Forte."

"It was almost dark when he came." Forte realized that Rockman was referring to the arcanine now. "He found me, and told me that the human-people from the town had killed my Dad. I wanted to cry, but he offered to take care of me."

So it had been in part due to a feeling of being indebted to the other. Forte now knew the history between Rockman and this… Breakman, but there was one more thing that he wanted to ask. Just to clear things up.

"And what made you leave him?" Just from his brief interaction with the arcanine alone, Forte already suspected he knew the reason why, but he still wanted to hear what Rockman had to say about it, first.

Rockman didn't answer immediately. Instead, he squinted, as if pondering over something.

"Okay. I can tell. But just you, okay?" Rockman finally said, looking at Forte hazily. "But you also gotta promise not to laugh or make fun of me for it, got it?"

"I promise I won't laugh or make fun of you." The request confused him, but Forte accepted it.

"Okay…" The mightyena felt Rockman taking a deep breath. "I… I ran away from him. Because I was scared of him." As if he believed his answer to be absurd, the absol quickly elaborated. "I didn't mean to! But I was just so scared… Sometimes, he was nice to me. But sometimes, he would hurt me. I never knew which." The absol sniffed, burying his face into the tuft of Forte's fur. "I couldn't take it… I knew it was wrong, but I still ran away from him. I ran from my mate, Forte."

"But that's not the worst part." Rockman continued. "The worst part is… I actually felt good when I left him. I knew I shouldn't have. I should have been guilty about it, but instead, I just felt… relieved."

Forte began patting the absol's back once he felt the other pokemon began to shake once more. Rockman appeared to be crying.

"Do you think I'm a bad mate, Forte?" Rockman asked him in between sobs. "After everything he did for me, I still abandoned him, and I felt good about it; I knew I shouldn't have, Forte! I know I'm terrible, but i couldn't help it… Please don't hate me, Forte… I'm so sorry…"


	201. Chapter 163

Rockman felt his heart stop the moment he saw Scuttlest disappear off the edge.

"Scuttlest!"

The blue Navi ran towards the ledge. When the virus was nowhere to be seen, he jumped off the elevated plateau himself, quickly losing his footing and tumbling down half-way until someone caught him.

"Mistress!" Shadowman took hold of him, steadying the blue Navi as they slid the rest of the way downwards. The shadow Navi let go of him once he was certain that Rockman had regained his balance. "Mistress, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Rockman adjusted his cloak around him, slightly shaken. "Where's Scuttlest? He fell down here before me."

Shadowman tensed. He hadn't seen the bug virus on his way up the elevation, but a familiar, distant chirrup saved him from answering. "Mettaur!"

"Beep?" Rockman turned to his other virus companion. The Mettaur appeared panicked when it approached him.

"Mettaur- Mettaur!"

"You saw Scuttlest?" He gasped. "Where is he now?"

Beep wasted no time and began hopping off in the direction where it had saw the other virus gone to. Rockman followed him, and the small group quickly found Swallowman next to the bug virus. Scuttlest was making some wheezing noises as it laid sideways.

"Scuttlest!" Rockman knelt down next to the virus, petting its head gently. "Are you alright?"

The virus let out several low clicks, almost like a groan, and Rockman realized, rather belatedly, that one of the bug virus' leg appendages had been ripped clean off. Bits and pieces of data were spilling out from the wound.

Rockman grit his teeth. The Navi didn't even need to guess who the culprit was, but it wasn't as if he could catch him. The bug was nowhere to be seen, probably long gone by now.

He suddenly felt terrible. Sighing, Rockman looked at the wheezing virus. "I'm so sorry about this…"

Scuttlest let out a tiny chirrup, the sound oddly miserable. Besides it, Swallowman stood awkwardly.

"Huh." The bird Navi sounded confused. "That's weird…"

Rockman blinked, looking up at him. "What's weird?"

"Your virus!" Swallowman scratched the back of his head. "He was completely fine just a moment ago, but just decided to collapse when you got near! Super strange- Ouch!"

Swallowman leapt back. Scuttlest had shot forward and bit the bird Navi's ankle. The virus was chattering angrily. In an instant, Rockman understood what had happened, and he couldn't quite stop the abrupt laugh that escape him. Scuttlest turned back to him, chirping in hurt. Rockman just smiled and patted the virus on its head. "I'm glad you're alright. You really scared me."

There was a small click of annoyance as Scuttlest shuffled up closer to him.

"Mistress…" Now that the false alarm had passed, Shadowman felt it was safe to move onto another issue. "Just right now… Was that really…?"

"It was." Rockman's look grew distant as he said this. He knew the shadow Navi must have caught onto something before he had gone and confronted Forte.

Shadowman fell quiet. The Navi took notice of Rockman's distress. Swallowman hadn't. "I guess it didn't go so well, huh."

"Heh. Not really, no." Rockman closed his eyes, shaking his head. "The Tetra Code's gone now. He got to it before us."

"Should I go after him, Mistress?" Shadowman offered.

"No." Rockman's voice came out a lot harsher than he had planned, and the Navi took a deep breath, attempting to calm himself down before he continued. "I don't know what he's planning on doing with the codes, but whatever it is, he's determined not to tell me." At this, Rockman turned towards Shadowman. "...If you go after him now, he might hurt you, and I don't want anyone to get hurt because of this anymore."

Shadowman didn't say anything. It was obvious that he didn't agree with Rockman's decision, but he was nonetheless touched that Rockman had shown as much concern for him as he had. "What should we do now, Mistress?"

"...If he's so determined about collecting the Tetra Codes…" Rockman frowned, trying to come up with a reason for Forte's action. "He's planning on using them to receive Alpha. He has to be." There was no other reason for the dark Navi to seek out the codes otherwise; At least, no other reason that Rockman himself could see.

But why? Did Forte suddenly wished to destroy the entirety of network society? Or was it because the dark Navi had somehow learnt about Alpha's involvement in the Alpha Incident ten years ago, and thus wanted to use the codes to get to the prototype network to enact revenge upon it?

If so, then just how did Forte learn about Alpha? Who told him? He could think of several people who might have knowledge about the Alpha Incident- Perhaps the scientists who had been working at SciLabs a decade ago- but he couldn't think of a single person that would have any reason to reach out to the Black Shadow, or one person that Forte would have trusted enough to take their word as truth.

Maybe… Forte somehow learnt about this, all by himself…?

Rockman shook his head. This was getting all too confusing once more. He had to focus on the obvious, first.

"If he's planning on using the codes to revive Alpha… Then he's going to reappear again, sooner or later." Either to collect the final Tetra Code, or when he awakens Alpha with the codes- Rockman wasn't sure which situation would prove to be more devastating. "When he does, I'll stop him."

Shadowman must have noticed the change in his tone. "...Mistress?"

Rockman didn't falter. "I've made up my mind, Shadowman." He said, determined. "I'll try my best to talk him out of it, if I can, but if he still insists of going through with receiving Alpha… Then I'll stop him. I'll fight him, if I have to." Then, in a softer voice, he continued. "...I don't like it, and I hope it won't come to this… But I can't let him put the entire net in danger. I know he's my mate, but if I have to… I'll stop him."

"...Uh." Swallowman coughed, catching onto something Rockman had said. "Wait, that "Forte" just now- That was your mate?" Then, in a more incredulous tone, he said, "You're mated?"

Rockman blinked.

Oh, that's right. He never told Swallowman about him being mated.

Shadowman rolled his eyes. "Seize your delusions; My mistress is mated to the Messenger of Darkness." He said, dryly.

"Th-the Messenger of-" Swallowman stammered, taking a step back. "The  _Black Shadow?!_  Are you kidding me?!" The bird Navi looked in between Rockman and Shadowman. "Why did no one tell me?!"

"I- I thought it was obvious…!" Rockman looked away, embarrassed. "...Besides, it's not like you asked…"

It had just been a whisper, but Swallowman appeared to have heard it. The bird Navi knelt down next to him and placed both his hands on the blue Navi's shoulders.

"Look, I'm not sure if anyone's told you this before, but did you happen to notice that  _your mate is fucking SCARY?!"_  Swallowman was nearly screaming towards the end. "What were you  _thinking?!"_

There was a yell when Shadowman had gone up behind Swallowman, hauling the bird Navi away with an arm around the other's throat. "Who my Mistress decides to take as a mate is none of your concern."

"But-"

Swallowman gasped, grabbing onto Shadowman's arm when the Navi had jerked his arm upwards. "Quiet. We must leave the Deep Web before more viruses can appear."

Rockman unconsciously smiled as he watched the two other Navies began arguing once more. He turned to his two virus companions. He watched Scuttlest closely. "Are you alright to walk?"

With a huff, Scuttlest dragged itself from the ground. He shook briefly, getting the sand off from its body before taking several cautious steps; The bug virus was hurt, but it was not damaged so much that it was unable to walk. Scuttlest would have plenty of time to rest and heal later, after they leave the Deep Web and find a safer location within the Undernet. Beep let out a small chirrup, before the Mettaur quickly followed.

' _...I'll be fine.'_  Rockman found himself thinking, feeling strangely content.  _'Whatever happens next… I'll be fine.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Remember guys; Your significant other should be your best friend, but not your only friend. You should have other people who you can trust and rely on other than the person you love. That's all.


	202. Chapter 164

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So I'll be getting my feedback on my interim report tomorrow. Hopefully I did okay. I actually spent like a lot of time reading up on stuff for the report and I hope it made sense.

"Dad!"

Doctor Hikari heard the pair frantic footsteps growing louder. He looked up from his desk. "Hub? Netto?"

He watched the two boys as they ran up towards him, both huffing and puffing. Had they been in a hurry? "What are you two boys doing here?" The twins had told him that they were going to visit their friend at the hospital, so why were they here now?

"Dad!" Netto was the first to speak. "Do you know about the Tetra Code in SciLabs?"

The man was taken aback. "Wh… What are you talking about, Netto?" How did they know about the Tetra Codes?

"We know that there's a Tetra Code somewhere in SciLabs' cyberworld, Dad!" Hub added. It had taken him slightly longer, but the elder regained his breath. "Please, tell us where it is!"

"You two aren't supposed to know about the Tetra Codes." Doctor Hikari frowned, crossing his arms. "What brought this up? How do you know about them?"

"There's no time for that!" Netto pressed. "WWW is planning to revive Alpha using the codes! We have to get to them before they can!"

The doctor's eyes went wide. He regarded both his sons carefully, then sighed. "...And here I thought you two were done getting yourselves into trouble." He smiled, shaking his head.

Netto paused. He knew that their father was merely concerned for them, but he couldn't just stand aside and do nothing when it was very possible that the entire cyberworld was at sake. Sensing his conflict, Hub spoke up for him. "Dad… I know you're worried about us, but we have to know." The elder of the two twins explained. "If Alpha is revived using the Tetra Codes… It could very well consume the entirety of network society. We can't allow that to happen."

Doctor Hikari continued to regard them careful. The two boys could almost see the internal debate going on in the man's mind, before he finally relented. "Alright… I don't suppose there's anything I can say that will change your mind…" With a short laugh, he retrieved something from his desk, turning and gesturing for the two boys to follow.

"Judging by what you've said so far… I suppose you two already know about the Alpha Incident?" Doctor Hikari asked the two twins trailing after him down the hallway.

"Well… Sort of." Netto tilted his head. "We know that Alpha was supposed to be some sort of prototype network, but then it went berserk and began absorbing everything."

"You're not wrong." Their father nodded. "But that happened nearly a decade ago." He looked at the two boys. "Someone told you about the incident, correct?"

"..."

Hub and Netto gave each other a quick glance. It was true that neither of them could have known about something that happened in SciLabs nearly ten years ago if they hadn't learnt about it from Mega, but the way that their father had said it, it sounded as if he knew just who had told them of the Alpha Incident.

"Dad-"

"Well, here we are." Rounding a corner, the doctor placed his ID card against the scanner on the wall, and the door besides it slid open with a beep. "Go on, he's in there as well."

Netto blinked. He turned to his elder sibling and mouthed, "He?"

Hub shrugged. He looked just as confused. As they stepped through the doorway however, the two abruptly realized who their father had mistaken their informant for.

"Wh- You two again?!" A familiar voice yelled. "What're you doing here?"

"Enzan!" Netto tried not to sound too surprised.

The white-haired boy scowled. Hub walked up to him, unfazed. "Enzan- You're here for the Tetra Code, too?" He guessed, thinking over what his father had just said. Then, in a quieter voice, he asked, "...Did she tell you, too?"

Enzan ignored his question. "I'm here on Net Officer duty to extract the Tetra Code from the SciLabs computers. Go away. Stop trying to distract me."

_Ah._

Enzan actually felt the physical need to hit something when he saw the two Hikari twins give him a knowing smirk simultaneously.

"Don't be all cold and distant, Enzan!" Netto played into his role as a concerned friend. "We just wanted to help you!"

"Alright, then." Whatever Enzan had been about to say was cut short when Doctor Hikari suddenly spoke out from the control panel on the far end of the room. "Sorry for the wait, but I needed to retrieve a very specific code in order to gain access to the part of SciLabs cyberworld that contains the Tetra Code."

"Which part of SciLabs is the Tetra Code hidden in, Dad?" Hub asked. The area had to been one with high levels of security if it required an access code to open.

"Well… Sometimes, when parts of a network aren't being used anymore, new network areas would be built directly on top of them, creating a "pocket" area, where the old network technically still exists, but is mostly abandoned." Doctor Hikari explained. "The Tetra Code that resides in SciLabs is being kept in such a pocket area."

"Eh?" Netto was confused yet intrigued at the same time. He never knew that such areas existed in the cyberworld. In his mind, the boy imagined them to be the network equivalent of abandoned cities. "What was that area originally meant for?"

"...It was inhabited by a very specific NetNavi who was involved in the Alpha Incident, ten years ago." The doctor told him after a moment of hesitation. Before either Netto or Hub could ask anything else, the screen on the control panels blinked green with an affirmative beep.

"The access code has been accepted." Doctor Hikari stepped back, turning to the three boys. "You can plug into the pocket area from this control panel now. The Tetra Code is hidden somewhere within that area… But be careful. That part of the network has been abandoned for over a decade. Even I can't be sure what else you'll find in there."

"Don't worry. It won't take long." Enzan stepped forward. He took out his PET.

"H-Hey Enzan!" Hub quickly followed. "Come on! Let us help!"

"Yeah!" Netto agreed. "There's no time to waste! We'll find the Tetra Code quicker if we work together!"

"..."

The white-haired boy closed his eyes, drawing in a long, deep breath, before exhaling slowly. "... _Fine._  Do what you want. But if you get in my way…"

"Yeah, yeah." Netto raised the connector of his PET. "We got it! Plug in-"

"Rockman X!"

"Rockman Zero!"

"Blues!"

"Transmission!"


	203. Bad Omens 17

Forte jerked awake with a start. His sides hurt and his fur was uncomfortably damp. Sitting up and rubbing his eyes, the mightyena attempted to figure out how he'd gotten himself into this predicament.

...That's right. Hadn't he found Rockman in here after the absol had fallen into the stream?

"Rockman?" He turned, his gaze sweeping through his surroundings, but he was unable to locate the other pokemon. His breath caught up in his throat. Had it all been a dream?

Forte shook his head, quickly dismissing the thought. That wasn't true. He could still feel the phantom cold that had seeped into his limbs from the storm. It couldn't possibly be just some hallucination in his mind.

He shuffled towards the opening of the small indent, where the first rays of sunlight were already visible through the cracks in the wall. He must have unknowingly passed out and slept till morning.

Forte frowned. Rockman's absence was worrying. From what he remembered, the absol had been freezing cold just hours ago. That was worrying. He didn't think Rockman could have recovered so quickly, and now that the other had disappeared…

He had to locate the absol, right now.

* * *

 

Rockman was halfway over the mountainside when he heard a series of padded footsteps coming up from behind him. Panic swelled in his chest, and the absol whipped around, only to have his fear swiftly turn into surprise and confusion when he saw the familiar figure of a mightyena running up towards him. Rockman blinked, not quite believing his eyes. "Forte?"

"Rockman!" Forte huffed as he finally caught up to the absol. He appeared annoyed, but concerned. "What are you doing? You're ill!"

"I…" The absol was dumbstruck. He thought he would have been long gone by the time Forte had woken. In fact, he never thought that the mightyena would look for him. He wasn't sure what to say. "I… Isn't it obvious…?" Rockman murmured, looking away. "I'm leaving."

"What?" Forte just looked at him. He was giving the absol an opportunity to elaborate, but when Rockman remained silent, he pressed further. "What do you mean you're leaving?"

"I mean exactly what I said!" Rockman raised his voice, flustered. "Can't you see? I'm going away! Forever!"

"Going away?" Forte was shocked. "To where? And why?"

"I… I don't know…!" Rockman's tail twitched nervously. "I just… I've brought enough trouble to everyone already… It would probably be better… If I just left." The absol paused, sniffing softly. "...I don't know where I'll go, but I'll figure it out, somehow."

Rockman couldn't help but shrink back, ashamed, when Forte frowned at him. "Is that why you're leaving?"

"..." Rockman bowed his head. "...Yes."

With a snort, Forte went up to him, and hit him atop of his head- Not enough to actually hurt, but most definitely enough to sting. Rockman recoiled, startled. "F-Forte!"

"Idiot!" The mightyena didn't give him a chance to finish. "You think that running away from your insecurities will just make them magically better?"

Rockman protested. "I'm not-"

"Then what  _are_  you doing?" Forte interrupted him once more. "What; you're too scared to face the consequences after telling me what a 'bad mate' you were?"

Forte saw the shock quickly followed by realization on the other's expression. Rockman must have stared at him for a solid minute, before the absol mumbled. "...I- I thought it was a dream…"

Before Forte can ask, Rockman continued. "But you're right…" The absol admitted, softly. "You were right… I was scared, okay?"

The mightyena frowned. "Of what?"

"That you'd… That you'd hate me, alright?" Rockman cried, his fur bristling. "I was scared that you'd learn the truth- That you'd know I've abandoned my past mate. I didn't listen to him, and I didn't want to do what he told me to. I even ran away from him, because I disliked him…" Rockman was shaking. He breathed in, trying to steady himself, but it came out as a gasp instead. "Oh my god… I might have even… He was… He  _fell_ …"

"Rockman."

Forte's attempting at getting the other's attention didn't quite work. Rockman just held himself, shaking his head in shame. "I-if… If you hate me, after this- I understand. I wouldn't like me, too. If you want me to, then I'll leave. You won't ever have to see me again."

"..."

Forte sighed. "...Rockman, if I never wanted to see you again, do you think I would go through all the effort of finding you after I realized you disappeared?"

He saw the absol raise his head slightly, but it had been such a neglectable action. It was almost as if Rockman didn't want to get his hopes up just yet. "Remember what I told you about forcing others to be your mate?"

Rockman visibly tensed. He didn't understand the sudden jump in their conversation, and suspected it to be some sort of trick or test. "...Don't do it?"

"Correct." Forte nodded. "And that applies to everyone, alright? You can't force anyone to be your mate. But at the same time, no one should be able to force you as their own." The mightyena regarded the absol closely as he said this. "...You were right, Rockman. You should be able to choose your own mate. If it wasn't something that you wanted- and you truly felt that he was forcing you, then you were in your right to run away. No one would fault you for it." He leaned in, taking Rockman's hand and giving it a squeeze. "...I wouldn't fault you for that. Do you understand?"

Bright green eyes stared at him. Rockman paused, watching Forte closely as he thought over what the mightyena had just told him. Then, the absol bit his lips, a small frown on his face. "So… It's alright for me to choose my own mate."

"It is."

There was another pause, before Rockman spoke again, this time with more caution.

"Then… Can I choose you?"

"..."

Rockman had been about to retract his statement, but Forte just gave him a dubious shruge.

"Only after I choose you as mine."

With that, Forte turned and left the way he came from, his tail giving a small flick. Rockman was still frozen in place by the mightyena's response several moments later.

That wasn't an affirmation… But it hadn't been a rejection, either.

"For- Forte!" Rockman leapt after him instantly after he regained control over his limbs. "Forte!"

_**End of Bad Omens** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:
> 
> Hey guys, so this is the end of Bad Omens. It's a bit longer than Yokai Scandal, but I hope you enjoyed it, regardless.
> 
> As with Yokai Scandal, there will be a Bad Omens doujinshi- Though this one probably won't be out until next year, or at least, late december. The extra content that are doujinshi-exclusive will be about the aftermath, following the main plotline of Bad Omens, so more of the "falling in love" stuff, we'll be seeing Kalinka, and maybe even get to meet their children in an Extra Chapter or two. This will take some time for me to write, and since it's near the end of a semester for me where there's ton of shit to hand in, hopefully you'll understand why this doujinshi will take such a long time to complete.
> 
> You can catch any updates on the Bad Omens doujinshi on my tumblr art blog "sfwlgotn".
> 
> Anyways, the next spinoff will begin shortly after the conclusion of the Alpha arc. This spinoff was originally planned to be after Yokai Scandal, but because it takes heavy elements from the current arc, it was pushed back to avoid spoilers and redundancy. If you've been following me on other art sites for a while, you might have an idea of what this spinoff is about.
> 
> Anyways, thanks for sticking with Bad Omens and LGOTN. Cheers.


	204. Chapter 165 (Pocket Area)

Rockman X logged into the pocket area. The Navi took a step forward, and nearly fell off the side of the platform he was on. Zero grabbed his wrist, pulling him back just in time. "Careful, X!"

"Sh-" Gasping, he reeled back, taking several deep breaths to steady himself. "Th-thanks, Zero. I wasn't expecting that…"

Underneath him were broken pieces of data-streams acting as unstable platforms throughout the abandoned network. Damaged and unwanted data were forming into currents, and both Navies stared at the makeshift digital river flowed past them.

"The data paths in this area have long since broken down from the lack of maintenance." Blues explained, looking unimpressed. "Take caution as you search for the Tetra Code."

"Right." X nodded. "Got it."

Zero was still observing the currents of broken data surrounding them. "Where are we even supposed to start? The data in this pocket area is going everywhere. We won't be able to search through the place systematically."

Blues snorted. "Then I suppose you better start looking." With that, the Navi turned and leapt, landing on a lower platform before disappearing into one of the data currents. Zero frowned. "What's his problem?"

X just laughed, shrugging. "You know how he is." He walked over to another data current, this one flowing upwards. "Come on. We'll search the place together."

Zero quickly followed him, and as the two of them sifted through the data streams for clues, a thought suddenly occurred to Zero. "X, who do you think was the Navi who used to inhabit this area?"

The Navi frowned in thought briefly. Doctor Hikari had mentioned that this pocket area used to host a NetNavi who was involved in the Alpha Incident ten years ago. Did they know any NetNavies who were connected to such an incident?

...Wait a second… "Didn't Mega tell us about how the Black Shadow came to be because of the Alpha Beast?" X seemed startled himself when he made the connection.

His companion appeared to have realized just as much. "...No way." Zero was in disbelief. "We're in the home of the Black Shadow?"

The two Navies suddenly began looking at the area around them with a different perspective. Somehow, the knowledge that the Black Shadow used to inhabit this area made the place more… ominous. Somehow.

"...Can you believe that he used to be like us?" X spoke softly.

"What do you mean?" Zero gave the Navi a look, confused. How is the Black Shadow- Literally one of the most infamous NetNavies in the Undernet- anywhere remotely similar to them?

"He doesn't seem so different from us, if you think about it." Turning to Zero, X elaborated. "I mean… He used to inhabit the surface net. He used to have an operator, who he trusted. It was only after the Alpha Incident that he…" X trailed off, not wanting to think about just what exactly had befallen the Black Shadow in the past to turn him into the Navi that he is today. "...If he's truly gathering the Tetra Codes for himself so he could get to Alpha and take his revenge, I don't think I can blame him; I might not agree with the decision, but I would definitely understand why he'd do it."

Zero shivered. All this talk about the Messenger of Darkness was making him nervous. "Let's just focus on looking for the Tetra Code hidden in here."

X didn't disagree. "Alright. Let's."

The two of them continued their search in relative silence, occasionally jumping from one data current to the next when the stream came to an end. Then, out of the corner of his eye, X noticed several pieces of red-tinted data flowing past them. He stopped in his tracks, reaching for the data, but they slipped through his fingers. "Zero! Over here!"

"I see it!" Zero followed, going after the trail of suspicious data before they could lose track of it. The trail of data gradually manifested into a more solid form as the two neared the end of the current. Taking hold of it, Zero leapt out from the stream, taking a moment to regain his balance when his weight was being affected by gravity once more. X joined him not a moment later. "I think that's it."

In his palm was a small, red-coloured orb, pulsing with energy. It looked nearly identical from the Tetra Code they saw back in Yoka Zoo. "Right…" Zero nodded, though the Navi appeared uncertain. "But what should we do with this now…?"

X blinked. He hadn't thought that far ahead. All he had been concerned with was locating the code. "Well… We should send it over to Blues. He probably knows where to put it so WWW can't get to it." That was probably why the other Navi was here looking for the code to begin with.

"Alright then." Zero agreed. It seemed reasonable. Before he could say anything else however, the floor beneath them began to shake.

Alarms went off in X's mind. Something wasn't right. It couldn't be a coincidence that trouble was beginning to stir the moment he and Zero happened to locate the Tetra Code. "Zero! Watch out!"

The Navi was just quick enough to push the other out of the way. The ground beneath them erupted. A giant drill shot out into the air, staying suspended for a moment more as it spinned. Then, the drill appeared to slow down. Pieces of the drill detached, reforming itself, soon revealing a Navi from within it. "Wheee-heee-heeen!"

The Navi then landed before them, eyeing them gleefully. "So this is where the final Tetra Code is being kept, heeeen?"

X aimed his buster at the Navi as he scrambled to get to his feet. "W-who...?!" Wasn't this area supposed to be completely closed off from the surrounding network? So how did this Navi get into this pocket network without an access code?

"Hee-hee-heen!" The Navi appeared to have caught onto his bafflement. "No area is beyond my reach- My ability allows me to drill into and create holes throughout the cyberworld! I can go anywhere I please!"

"You're one of WWW's!" There wasn't an ounce of doubt in Zero's voice. There was only one reason for this unknown Navi to be here.

"Correct!" The Navi didn't see a point in hiding his affiliation with the terrorist organization. "Whee-heee-heeen! I'm Drillman of WWW!" Jumping up, the Navi brought his limbs together, quickly reforming himself into his prior dill-shape as he began to spin once more. "And I'll be taking what rightfully belongs to WWW!"

In an instant, Drillman shot himself towards the two other Navies. X fired multiple shots at him, but the energy pellets all bounced off of the other's hard exterior harmlessly. He collided into the two Navies, successfully knocking the Tetra Code out from Zero's grasp. Taking hold of the code itself, the WWW Navi merely gave another metallic laugh, before he took a downward dive, creating another hole in the cyberworld as he swiftly disappeared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I still can't get over the fact that Drillman laughs like a spinning drill. Today's Bad Omens updated patch: Majority of initial chapters re-written. Rockman is really annoying in the rewritten version of BO.


	205. Chapter 166 (Drillman)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: You didn't get a chapter yesterday because our chairperson actually pissed me off so much I couldn't write. Thanks, chairperson.

"What did you two do again?" Blues joined them as they were heading towards the crater that Drillman had escaped to.

"It wasn't us!" X winced at the accusing tone. "A WWW Navi just came in and took the Tetra Code! He escaped through that hole!"

Blues frowned. "Should've known better than to leave the both of you alone…" He muttered underneath his breath. "What are you waiting for? We can't let him escape!" Blues leapt forward, disappearing into the strange opening towards some unknown part of the cyberworld first. X turned to look at Zero, the two Navies giving each other a nod.

"Let's go!"

With a running start, X jumped into the opening and almost instantly regretted it when the Navi abruptly realized that gravity appeared to function completely differently than how it had in the common net. Unable to grab onto anything to halt his free-fall through the area, X continued to fall uncontrollably, until he came to the end of the portal, tumbling out onto someplace entirely different. "Wh-where is this place?!"

"You still seem to be within the cyberworld of SciLabs!" Netto checked his Navi's location with his PET. "But it's like you've moved from the pocket area to another computer instantly!"

"That must've been how that Drillman managed to get into the pocket area in the first place…" X frowned. Then, something else occurred to him. "Wait-" The Naiv turned, looking back to the crater which he emerged from. "Where's Zero?" The other had followed him through the hole, hadn't he?

"Hey!" Zero seemed to have heard him through their PETs. "I'm over here!"

"Zero-" Hub frowned, looking at the screen of his PET. "My PET's showing that you're somehow in one of the power generators on the basement level of SciLabs!"

"There must be more than one portal!" X realized. That was the only explanation why he and Zero got split up. The two of them must have fallen into different exits. Briefly, he wondered where Blues had ended up into.

"I don't see Drillman anywhere here!" Zero reported after a quick but throughout search through the generator computers. "He must have went through a different exit- I'm heading back in!"

"I'm going back in, too!" X would have noticed a drill-shaped Navi in the small, compact area that he had landed in. He jumped back into the crater, this time slightly more prepared as he began falling through the weightless area, before landing into another place, completely different than the one he was just in.

"See anything?" Netto asked.

"Nothing!" X almost yelled out in frustration.

"There's no sight of him over here, either!" Zero was just as annoyed. "Damn, this guy runs better than Bubbleman!"

"Keep looking!" Hub urged his Navi. "We can't let him get away with the Tetra Code!"

Both Navies leapt back in through the portal, each time arriving at different areas within SciLabs. The cycle continued for several more times, before on one particular jump, something collided with X, throwing the Navi off from his original terjectrary. X yelled, grabbing onto the thing that had hit him in an attempt to steady his fall, before he and whatever that had struck him fell out through another portal. "Ouch! Let go, you idiot!"

"B-Blues!" X loosened his grip instantly, jumping back in surprise. He hadn't realized he'd grabbed onto the other Navi's hair!

As both Navies got up, Blues rubbed the back of his head, not even bothering to hide his displeasure. X just looked away in embarrassment. "E-eh… So, did you catch sight of that WWW Navi…?"

Blues didn't reply. Instead, the Navi's scowl deepened as he summoned his weapon. X took a step back, confused, though his internal question was quickly answered when he heard a rather defining laugh.

"Whee-hee-heen!"

X whipped around. Drillman had appeared in front of them, the WWW raising both his drill arms in a menacing manner. "I tire of this game of cat and mouse! Let's end this now!"

X aimed his buster at the Navi, narrowing his eyes. So, he's finally decided to stop running!

"Drill Drive!"

With a hop, Drillman shifted back into his drill form, hurling himself at X and Blues as he began to spin. Both Navies dodged out of the way as Drillman collided with the ground, shattering the floor tiles and disappearing underneath the panels not a moment later.

"Darn it!" He should have known that a WWW Navi of all Navies would use some form of dirty trick when fighting. "Where'd he go?!"

"Quiet." Blues said sharply. X just looked at the other Navi, feeling childish, but still somewhat hurt. There was already a distinctive difference in Blues' less-than-supportive attitude in contrast when X fought alongside Zero, though the blue Navi realized he couldn't really blame Blues for it. He knew the other Navi was definitely more comfortable fighting alone than in a team.

He pushed the thought away. He needed to focus on their fight! Just as the thought occurred to him, X heard the soft sound of portals being opened, and he looked up to find that the air above them now had dozens of holes created within the cyberworld.

"Watch out!"

The moment he said it, miniature drills flew out from the craters, aiming for the two Navies still on the ground. X fired at them with his buster, shattering some of the drills, while Blues sliced through the sharp projectiles with his sword. There was a distant laugh than sounded like a whine as they were barraged by the constant attack. "Whee-hee-heen!"

"This guy's not going to fight fair!" X caught onto Drillman's plan. The Navi was going to hide in relative safety while he slowly chipped away at he and Blues' strength before delivering the final blow. He couldn't allow that to happen! There had to be some way to draw the WWW Navi out from hiding, right?

During his internal dialogue, X hadn't noticed that Blues had stepped directly in the line of fire of one of the portals. It was only when he heard the distinctive laugh and saw the gleaming eyes emerging from the crater that he realized that Drillman was about to ambush the other Navi. "Blues-!"

"Drill Drive!" Before X could even get a second word out, Drillman shot out from the portal in his drill form, spinning wildly. Seeing that the red Navi's back turned towards him, the WWW Navi saw a prime opportunity to attack. "You're finished-"

"Paladin Sword!"

The smugness in his voice was short-lived. A sharp, jerking pain abruptly shot through his body, and before Drillman had even realized it, Blues had sliced his body clean in half; From the tip of his drill downwards to the very end. He had ran directly into the red Navi's blade.

"N-no… Nooooo!"

Drillman's body was split wide open, before his core exploded, any remnant data leftover from the blast quickly dissipating into thin air. X just stared at the place where the WWW had been just seconds ago, before looking back towards Blues. "How-"

"It's simple. If you weren't so indulged in unnecessary panic." Sensing X's amazement and bafflement of how he had managed to draw out and dispatch of Drillman so easily, Blues scoffed. "If you were so adamant that your opponent won't fight fair, then just feed into their arrogance."

That appeared to be all Blues was willing to share, but it left X in awe nonetheless. The other Navi was right; He was so concerned about how he was going to get their opponent to emerge from hiding, but had never once considered allowing his opponent to believe that their plan had worked, and using the instant where they let their guard down as an opportunity for a counterattack. Perhaps Blues was right. Maybe he needed to be more sophisticated in his net battles-

Wait a minute.

"H-hey!" X gasped out loud. "Where's the Tetra Code?" If Drillman was deleted, then he surely would have dropped it, right?

Blues had gone oddly quiet. It seemed as if the other Navi was also just now realizing the code they were going after originally seemed to have vanished completely. The silence dragged on for several more moments as both Navies stared at each other, before a beeping sound interrupted them. It was a notification from Hub's PET.

"Guys- You have to get over here, right now!" It was Zero. The Navi sounded frantic. "It's a wreck- He's gotten into Dad's computer!"


	206. Chapter 167

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I missed writing for you guys. The end of the semester is just a really hectic time for me. I'll try to keep writing throughout the following two to three weeks, but updates and probably going to be semi-regular. Sorry for the prolonged hiatus. Anyways, for the finale of the Alpha arc, since this arc only really appears in the games, and only somewhat appeared in the manga, I've decided to combine elements of both the games and manga into the finale of the arc, so that people who are familiar with the games, manga or both can have a pleasant surprise. Thanks for sticking with LGOTN, and on with the story.

X gasped upon entering the cyberworld inside doctor Hikari's computer. He knew from Zero that whatever was inside had been completely trashed, but…

"He was trying to distract us all along." Zero said, his gaze stern. "He used the portal he created through cyberspace to make sure that we were preoccupied while chasing him. That's how he was able to sneak into Dad's computer unnoticed and destroy everything in here."

"That's horrible!" X grit his teeth. Though he realized that it was unlikely that they would be able to figure out that the WWW Navi had intentions other than obtaining the Tetra Code within SciLabs, he still felt foolish for not knowing sooner regardless. Drillman had probably used the distraction to transport the code elsewhere, too. "But why? Weren't they just after the Tetra Code?" There wasn't any reason X could think of to explain why the WWW Navi had felt the need to completely wreck the place, other than to cause additional mayhem.

"...Hold on."

Both Navies jumped. They hadn't noticed Blues entering the network after them.

Walking past them, Blues observed the pile of wreckage carefully. The central core of the computer was badly damaged, causing the lights to flicker on and off occasionally as power supply to the computer's network became unstead. Along the walls were large dents and craters where Drillman had obviously made with his wild attacks. X and Zero continued to watch the Net Police Officer in slight bafflement, until Blues suddenly stopped, facing a part of a wall that appeared just as damaged as the rest of its environment.

"This wall." Blues stated, pointing a finger at it. "Something has been pulled out from it."

"What…?" Zero took several steps closer. He frowned. To him, the hole in the wall seemed no different than the rest surrounding it.

"The edges along the crater are bend outwards." Blues explained impatiently with a wave of his hand. It took the other two Navies another second to realize what that implied.

' _That's right- If it was another drill going into the walls, the edges would have been bent inwards instead, wouldn't they…?'_

"I see… So something had been taken out from there instead of being destroyed like the rest of the data..." Enzan narrowed his eyes in thought. He turned to doctor Hikair. "Doctor Hikari- Do you remember what was contained within that data bank?" It had to be something or importance if WWW would risk taking it.

The doctor frowned, observing the cyberworld through the screen in front of them. Sitting down in front of the panel, he attempted to access his computer to get a better view of things in the cyberworld, but with how damaged the internal systems were, many of the functions proved useless.

"Well…" Doctor Hikari closed his eyes in thought. He had to resort to memory. "...There's a great deal of things that were inside my computer, but I can't imagine a terrorist organization like WWW taking an interest in many of them." Most of the program and data being kept inside his computer were backups for certain networks within SciLabs.

"B-but… There has to be something, right?" Having dealt with WWW before, Netto couldn't believe that they would do something like this without some form of motive behind it.

Hub appeared to agree with his younger sibling. "Dad, isn't there anything that you can think of that WWW might have wanted to get their hands on?"

"..." Doctor Hikair sighed, rubbing his temples. The man seemed troubled just thinking about the possible consequences. "...There is  _one_  thing that I can think of, but…"

"What is it?" Netto pressed. He wasn't good with handling suspense.

"It's really just a guess… But several years back, I was working on a side-project… It wasn't anything official, persey. It was just something I worked on when I could. Call it a passion project, if you will."

"A passion project…?" Hub was a bit confused. He realized that his father was a skilled programmer, but what was it that the man made that had garnered WWW's attention?

"...I had planned on finishing it years ago, but with the recent events, the project had to be put aside. And, as for what the project is about..." Doctor Hikari seemed to have picked up on Hub's silent question. "Hub, Netto… Have you ever wondered what it would be like if we could transport data from the cyberworld over into the real world?"

"Transferring data… into the real world?" Hub was dumbfounded. In his mind, the cyberworld and real world existed in such different plains that the boy couldn't even fathom how something from one world could be sent to the other.

Netto was more imaginative. "Uh… I'm not sure how that would work…" The younger of the two boys tilted his head slightly. "But if we could really bring stuff over from the cyberworld into the real world… Does that mean I can bring X over from the cyberworld?" Netto couldn't help but look at his PET when he said this. "It would be cool to be able to talk to X like he's an actual person in the real world!"

"Netto-kun…" X sounded both amused and resigned at the same time, as if the Navi was unsure whether to correct the boy's wishful thinking, or admire his operator's creativity.

Doctor Hikair chuckled. "Well, you aren't wrong. That was one of the intentions of my project, yes."

"Wh-what?!" The shock was apparent. Even Enzan appeared startled by this knowledge.

"B-but… Why?" Hub asked. The boy couldn't see any beneficial application for bringing digital data over into the real world.

"...I'm unsure myself." Smiling, doctor Hikair patted his son on his head. "Like I said. It was more of a passion project than anything. I did wonder about how much quicker transportation could be, or how much of the unexplored parts of the world we can uncover and possible make inhabitable if the same technology applicable in the cyberworld can be brought over into the real world… But I suppose, in the end, I was really doing it to prove to myself that it can be done."

"...Doctor Hikari." There was a brief moment of silence before Enzan spoke. The boy was visibly concerned. "Are you certain that the… technology you were developing was incomplete?"

"Ah…" Being reminded of the looming threat, the tension was brought back instantly. "Well… The main functions are there, but the technology is still rather flawed. From my tests, it was possible to materialize digital objects in the real world, yes, but it has to be done under a very specific condition, in a rather confined area, and with quite a strict time limit as well. I was successful in bringing over digi-plants over from the cyberworld, but they were extremely unstable. The data would break down, perhaps not even five minutes later."

"...I see." Enzan took some comfort in knowing that if WWW were indeed to make use of doctor Hikari's technology, it wasn't likely going to be very effective. However, there was the undeniable fact that doctor Wily was a scientist himself, and the boy couldn't completely reject the possibility that the mad scientist would be able to fix the flaws in the system that doctor Hikari was developing, much like he had done with the elemental programs.

"...I still can't be sure what they took from my computer, if anything at all, until I can at least repair it so some of the basic functions work." Doctor Hikari quickly said, attempting to lessen the tension. "I'll work on sorting this out right away. If there's anything of interest, I'll be sure to let you know."

Enzan didn't appear to be too reassured, but he nodded, regardless. "...I suppose there's nothing left to do but prepare for the worst…"

"...Damn…" Netto murmured softly. "I was hoping that we could prevent WWW from getting their hands the Tetra Code, but instead, we just let things get worse…"

"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll figure out a solution in no time." His father gave him a soft smile. "For now, why don't you boys head home? After the day you had, I'm sure you could really use the rest…"

* * *

"Nii-san."

Hub turned to his younger sibling. The two boys were back in their hometown, making their way back home. "What?"

"Dad's technology about bringing things over from the cyberworld…" Netto paused, frowned slightly. "...What do you think about it?"

"I…" Hub wasn't sure why the other boy was bringing this up suddenly, but he supposed there was no harm in pondering over it. "I don't know. I guess I still can't get over how such a thing can be possible."

"But what if it  _can_  be done?" Netto pressed. He seemed determined to get an answer out of his elder sibling. "Come on, Nii-san. Don't you want to know how it would feel like to talk to your Navi in real life? How cool would that be?"

"I suppose…" Hub admitted. He still wasn't able to visualize Zero in the real world, standing besides him, but he couldn't deny that the concept itself was interesting, to say the least.

"Besides, what if viruses also got brought over as well?" Netto went on, growing more enthusiastic with every moment. "Imagine busting viruses in real life! Imagine battling other net battlers and their Net Navies in real life!"

"Netto-kun!" So that was why the other boy was so excited! He should have known!

In response, Netto merely stuck his tongue out, before running off ahead, and Hub quickly followed.


	207. Chapter 168 (Crossed Worlds)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Welcome to the beginning of the finale of the Alpha arc. I hope you all enjoy it. That being said, I have a Phonetics test on Wednesday, and the entirety of Tuesday is probably just going to be me making notes and studying for it. I'll try to get a chapter up tomorrow if I can. Anyways, on with the story.

The first thing Netto did when he woke up the next morning was to yawn, stretch, then turn over and nap for several moments, not even caring or bothering to check whether if it was a school day or not- The boy was just too used to his elder sibling waking him if that were the case. In fact, Netto was quite successful in getting server more moments of sleep, until he was startled awake by a loud scream.

"Nii-san!" Netto knew that voice- It was Hub! There was no mistaking it- What happened? Was Hub in danger? "Nii-san?!"

He jumped out of bed, tossing the sheets aside and landing on the floor with a loud thump. The two twins shared a room, and from his side, Netto can see that Hub had apparently fell from his bed, if the squirming movements underneath the sheets besides the other boy's bed was anything to go by.

Rushing over, Netto grabbed the bedsheets and yanked them aside. "Nii-san! Are you alri…"

Netto trailed off, gasping and taking a step back in shock. As the boy had expected, his elder sibling had fallen onto the floor, his expression somewhat flustered as he looked up at Netto. However, next to him was…

The younger Hikari decided to blink several more times in an attempt to clear his vision, before he finally acknowledged what he was seeing. "Z… Zero…?"

The figure on the floor besides his elder sibling was unmistakably Zero. But… "Y-you're…! B-but how…?" Zero was in the real world- A NetNavi was in the real world!

Zero seemed just as lost. He looked between his operator and his younger twin, struggling to find an explanation of sorts. "I…"

Just then, another yawn interrupted their conversation. Both human and Navi looked towards where the sound had come from, and were further to surprised to find Netto's Navi, X, sitting up on the younger sibling's bed, rubbing his eyes lazily. "W...What's all this ruckus about…?"

"X!" Netto couldn't quite stop himself from yelling. "Y-you're in the real world, too?!"

"Huh? What do you..." X was clearly baffled, his mind still foggy with sleep before something clicked in the back of his mind. The Navi's eyes went wide, and other series of screams sounded through the house.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want any more tea, dear?"

"No, M… Mrs. Hikari. I'm fine, thank you."

" _MOM!_ "

There was the sound of thumping footsteps coming from the stairs. It was the two Hikari twins.

"Mom!" Netto was the first to run up to his mother. "It's X and Zero! They're entered into the real world!"

"Oh…!" The woman only appeared mildly surprised. "Is that so?"

"Wh… Mom!" Netto was understandably annoyed. "Can't you act a bit more shocked?"

By now, Hub and the their two Navies had caught up to him. Quietly, Hub placed his hand on his younger sibling's shoulder. Netto gave him a questioning look, to which Hub only gestured at the other end of the table. Netto rolled his eyes, though his expression quickly changed when he saw the Navi who was sitting there. "I-It's you…!"

"Uh…" Mega waved her hand at the group awkwardly. "...Hi."

"Mega!" X was the first to recover in their group. "You're in the real world, too?"

"Well, it's not just me, actually." The undernet Navi smiled. "All of Den City's NetNavies have been transported into the real world overnight. It's on the news."

"You can't be… Are you kidding me?" Netto made a grab for the remot. With a flicker, the television was turned on.

" _...Yes, yes. Are we live?"_ The twins and their Navies recognized the figure. It was the same woman who reported on the original N1.  _"Ahem! This is Kero Midorikawa here, live in Den City, and it would appear that the real world has collided with the cyberworld- As you can see, NetNavies and programs now roam the streets of Den City, as if this were a common network!"_

The camera panned towards the background, and Zero raised an eyebrow. "Hey… isn't that…?"

" _B_K37, LOOK! WE'RE ON LIVE TV!"_

The voice sounded distant, as the two programs were standing quite far from the camera, but the grumble of annoyance hadn't gone unnoticed by the two NetNavies.

The footage then cut to another camera, this one aiming at the sky.  _"Though it's still unclear how and why NetNavies from the cyberworld are able to cross over into the real world, some have speculated it to be the cause of this strange arua that's surrounding the skies of Den City!"_

"...That's a weird looking sky, alright…" Hub frowned. From the screen, he could see that the sky appeared to be slightly discoloured, with a rainbow-ish hue rippling across it occasionally. "What on earth could that be…?"

" _No one knows what this mysterious aura is, but some sightings have shown that it appears to have originated from an abandoned factory near the shore!"_  Led by Kero, the news crew were now making their way towards the shoreline, where the dark silhouette of a strange building can be seen in the distance.  _"As you can see, the aura appears to be most condensed in the area surrounding the factory, and strange viruses have been seen emerging from the building there… W-wait a minute, something seems to be coming…!"_

" _Ah! M-miss Kero! Get down!"_

" _Whaaaa!"_

The video was blurred for a moment, as if something had pushed the camera over. Then, as the image became clear and focus once more, all they could see was the reporter being carried away by a Fishy virus.

" _Help meeee!"_

" _Miss Kero!"_

The screen then turned to static, probably due to the live footage being cut off. With nothing left more to see, Netto silently turned off the television. There was a lot of things for them to unpack. The first and most obvious of which being…

"...So." Hub's voice was soft as he spoke. "I guess that means WWW really did steal Dad's project back in SciLabs."


	208. Chapter 169

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I relate to the Muffin Song because I, too, also want to die, die, die. I think they might have gotten the inspiration for the song from the Reaper from Overwatch.

"Doctor Wily is probably behind the sudden appearance of NetNavies and programs in your world." Mega said. The Navi looked understandably concerned. "...He's a genius programmer, to be able to complete Doctor Hikari's work just overnight, but to see him use this skill in such a way…" The hooded Navi frowned. "He and WWW have to be stopped."

"What?" Zero spoke out before anyone else could. The Navi caught onto something Mega just said. "How did you know what Dad's project was about specifically?" The way the Undernet Navi had said it, it seemed as if Mega already knew doctor Hikari's personal project revolved around bringing digital data over from the cyberworld.

"Y…" Mega paused. "You said it just now. WWW had stolen doctor Hikari's project."

"No, we hadn't." Zero frowned. He definitely didn't recall telling the other Navi what the project was about specifically. "...On that note, how did WWW even  _know_  that there was such a technology to bring us over from the cyberworld, anyways?"

"..."

The Undernet Navi fell oddly quiet, and the group of Navies and operators grew curious- They hadn't even considered how either the Blue Myth or WWW would know about doctor Hikari's project if it hadn't been official. It was just something the man worked on as a personal interest. So how could they have known about this if the project wasn't even recorded in the first place…?

"Huh?" Just as the silence was about to get awkward, X was distracted by a sound from outside. It sounded like screaming, followed by a loud roar. "Something's outside!"

"Y-you boys are going out there?" Mrs. Hikari was alarmed when the two twins and their NetNavies ran outside without another word. Mega looked at towards the front door, then back to the troubled woman.

"Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on them." The Navi promised her, before quickly following the group out the front door as well. Out on the street, the two twins and their Navies were now faced with a pack of Spikey viruses. The wolf-like viruses appeared to have scared off everyone in the near vicinity, but upon seeing the new group of people forming, aggression spiked within the pack once more.

Netto cursed briefly- Having always saw the viruses through the screen of his PET, the boy never realized just how big the viruses were in comparison to them! "I hope sending Battle Chips through our PETs still works…!"

With another roar, the first of the viruses leap towards them. Netto jammed the first Battle Chip he could find into the reader in panic.

His Navi was fortunately a lot more level-headed- It wasn't the first time X had faced these viruses head on before, after all. "Vulcan!"

In a series of rapid energy shots, the pack of Spikey viruses were swiftly knocked back, dissipating into thin air like they would in the digital world. Netto breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness that worked…"

His Navi turned back, giving him a grin, though the expression quickly changed. "There's bound to be more of these viruses out there, all around Den City."

"Right." Hub agreed- If one group of virus can appear here, there was not doubt in his mind that another group can possibly appear elsewhere. "We need to stop the spread of these virus attacks before people get hurt- Literally!"

"The news report said the viruses are coming from an abandoned factory, didn't it?" Zero wondered out loud. He then noticed Mega coming out from the doorway to join them out on the street. "Hey- Do you know where this factory is, by any chance? Mind showing us the way there?"

Rockman had to pause a second time. "...I know where the building is located, yes- But I'm afraid you'll have to clear the road ahead yourselves."

"Wh-what do you mean?" X was visibly confused. "You aren't coming with us?"

"No! That's not it." He quickly shook his head before the rest of the group can misunderstand him. "It's just that… I actually came here, because I needed your help."

He watched both NetNavies and their operators give each other a quick look- Rockman couldn't say be blamed them. He still had to be some sort of mysterious, Undernet NetNavi in their minds.

"Alright. What is it?" Netto asked. He seemed baffled, yet interested at the same time.

"The truth is… I've actually tried to get close to the factory myself…" Rockman rubbed the side of his arm as he explained. "But… I was unable to. I couldn't get past the viruses."

That was somewhat of a half-truth. Shadowman and Swallowman were with him when he had attempted to rush through to the factory prior hand. Technically, the both of them would be more than able to take care of the viruses without much or a trouble, but the blue Navi hadn't wanted to risk it. There could be more dangerous enemies when they entered the factory, and he didn't want either of his two companions to get injured while splitting their attention between fending off potential hordes of viruses and protecting him. Especially since…

"What do you mean you weren't able to get past the viruses?!" Netto didn't resist the urge to yell. Just how powerful were those viruses if even one of the most renowned Undernet Navies couldn't get past them?

"It's- It's not because of that." Rockman knew what the boy was suggesting instantly. "It's just that… When I got transported from the cyberworld… The majority of my abilities weren't transferred over into the real world."

"...So…" The realization was so unsettling and outlandish that even Hub had to take several moments before speaking. "What you're saying is that…?"

Rockman nodded, confirming the boy's suspicions. "...Right now, I'm just like any surface Navi without their operator."

In hindsight, perhaps the occurrence shouldn't be so surprising to him; The same thing had happened once, in his original timeline, after all. Back when it was a group of rouge Navies making use of the dark power that had somehow led to him and the rest of the cyberworld being sent over into the real world, the same had happened to Serenade. Rockman and Netto first met the King of the Undernet on the bridge leading from the shore to the abandoned factory, where the viruses were being released from. It was then when he realized just how powerful the King of the Undernet was, to be able to deflect even his attacks whilst he was in his Ultimate style with such ease that the Navi and his operator were left completely staggered.

However, that wasn't the most chilling part.

As it turns out, Serenade was engaging them in battle with not even one tenth of a percent of his true power which he would have, had they been in the cyberworld. The Undernet Navi's abilities were so great that only the smallest fraction of it could be carried over into the real world, and considering how most of his own abilities now were borrowed from both Serenade and Forte, undoubtedly two of the most powerful NetNavies in the Underent…

"...Alright, got it." Thankfully, Netto was quick to come to a decision. "Don't worry. We'll clear the road up ahead for you. Just point us the way."

Rockman gave him a small smile, though it was somewhat strained. He still didn't feel too good about standing on the sidelines and asking for help, especially when he has the power to fight himself- It was so frustrating, not being able to utilize them! "...Thank you. The factory you're looking for is actually just besides where the original Battle Dome for the N1 used to be- Just head to the shore, and you'll see it."

"Wh- Wait a minute!" Zero stopped him when it appeared that he was about to leave. "Are you coming or not?" he looked as if he wanted to shout at Rockman to make up his mind.

"I'll follow you. Don't worry." Rockman told him. "I just need to go and find someone else before coming, okay? I'll be sure to stay out of any trouble." He quickly added when the rest of the group appeared visibly concerned.

"Okay. Fine. There's no time to lose, anyways- We'll go on ahead." Netto said, before his look grew thoughtful. "Anyways, before we go; I just wanted to say you're a lot shorter than I thought you'd be."

"..." It took Rockman a moment to confirm that the boy was indeed talking to him. He stammered "I- I'm not short!"

"But… You kind of are…"

"You're the same height as me!"

"I just thought you'd be taller." Netto shrugged, and apparently that was the end of the argument. "We'll be moving on now- Try not to fall too far behind!"

Rockman watched as Netto ran ahead, Hub and Zero quickly following him. X lingered around for a moment more, turning to him. "Uh… Just be careful, okay?" With that, the Navi swiftly left to rejoin the others, leaving Rockman to look in the direction of where the group had disappeared to with a strange sense of worry, nostalgia and longing.

' _...No, I can't let myself be distracted right now.'_  Rockman shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts.  _'There's something else that I need to do…'_


	209. Chapter 170 (Abandoned Factory)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay so my highschool friend hit me up just this night and asked if I had time to do her homework for her because she needed to hand it in at midnight. At first, I was like "Hmm… I dunno…" But then she was like "I'll pay you $300" and then I went "Yeah sure I'll do it lmao". Her homework's done now. I did it for her so she could hand it in.

"...Huh?"

Netto slowed to a stop just as he reached the bridge leading to the factory, his elder sibling and their Net Navies catching up to him a moment later. Police officers were everywhere on scene, and the entrance of the bridge was fenced off.

"Hey! What's going on!" It was clear the younger of the two twins wasn't quite interested in thinking about the implications of the authorities being present.

"Wh… What're you two boys doing here?!" One of the officers walked towards them, clearly baffled by the appearance of children in such a dangerous area. "You kids have to go! You shouldn't be here!"

"But we have to get through!" Netto argued.

"This is no place for children! You should hurry home- Your families must be worried!"

"Come on! We have to stop the virus attacks from spreading!"

"Is something the matter here?" The argument was interrupted. Hub recognized the man approaching them to be inspector Oda. He must have heard the commotion. "...Ah! It's you two again- What're you boys doing here?" The inspector appeared to have recognized them as well.

"Are the Net Police Officers investigating that abandoned factory?" Hub decided to ask for more information concerning their situation.

"Hm. We're sealing this bridge off until further notice." The inspector nodded. "You boys should know this already, but dangerous viruses are emerging from the factory. You shouldn't be he here."

"But we can't just leave!" Netto insisted. "Who'll stop the viruses from attacking the city, then?"

"Ah, no worries about that." The inspector rubbed his nose briefly. "We've sent in our best officers to scout on up ahead and find the source of where these viruses are coming from."

"The best Net Police Officer…?" Hub tilted his head in thought, though it took him no less than a second to figure out who the man was referring to. "You mean Enzan?"

"Are you kidding me?!" Netto nearly yelled. He seemed to have forgotten that the elder boy was actually an officer. In his mind, Enzan was just another boy, like them. "He's in there right now- Just by himself?! This is crazy! What if he gets hurt in there? Nii-san, we gotta find him!"

Then, before Hub even had the chance to stop him, Netto ran over to where the fence was put up, vaulting over the obstacle almost effortlessly. Hub didn't have as easy a time trying to get over the fence. The elder of the two was nearly caught by the rest of the net police as he struggled to climb over the fence had X and Zero not helped him over. Once his feet touched the ground however, the elder of the twins bolted after his younger sibling, their two Navies following closely behind. "Netto-kun! Wait up!"

"Damn it!" The officer was conflicted as he watched the two boys disappear into the factory. They should be going after the two children, but with those viruses still looming about…

"It's fine." Inspector Oda didn't appear any more pleased by the development himself as he said this. "Those two… They're stronger than they look."

"B-but… They're still just kids, aren't they?" The officer wasn't convinced.

"That they are." The inspector acknowledged. "But as of now, perhaps they stand the most chance of defeating whatever's inside…"

* * *

"Darn! Why's this place so dark?"

"Well…" Hub gasped, trying to regain his breath once he caught up to his younger sibling. "I suppose… It's meant to be an abandoned factory, after all…"

"We need to be careful, then." Zero noted. "Anything could jump out from the darkness at any moment."

"Right…" X couldn't even see the end of the hallway that they were in. Then, just as the group took another step forward, they heard a gurgling noise that seemed to be coming from over head.

"...?" Netto looked up, but he couldn't see anything within the dim light. "Is there something over us…?"

"Netto-kun!" His Navi was more alert. "Watch out!"

Rushing towards his operator, X just managed to yank the two of them out of they way just as several silmer viruses dropped down from the ceiling, their semi-translucent bodies making sloshing sounds as they collided with the ground.

Netto cursed out loud, while Hub just took a step back, unnerved by the sight despite the viruses' wobbly forms. 'Have viruses always been this big for Zero and X?' Hub couldn't help but wonder. The boy couldn't imagine himself fighting against something even larger than he was.

Then, he froze completely when the virus turned towards him, the bubbling noises it was making would have been funny if he wasn't so scared.

Zero stood forward, shielding his operator from the silmer virus. "Hub-san, stay back."

Shaking his head, Hub took a deep breath, attempting to steady himself. Now was no time to be intimidated. Zero was counting on him. He just had to operate his Navi just like he would while he was in the digital world…

_Blurp!_

"Wh… What…?"

The sound had come from behind him, and Hub couldn't help but shiver. Snapping his head back, the boy realized abruptly that one of the slimer viruses had snuck up from behind him. With a scream, Hub was about to run from the virus, but the moment he moved, the virus leapt.

"Hub!" Raising his sword, Zero wanted to rush over to his operator's aid, but even the Navi could tell that it would be too late- The virus was going to crush Hub underneath its weight!

In his frantic need to escape, Hub had accidentally tripped over himself, falling onto the floor. As he watched the virus looming over him, the boy raised his hands above his head, squeezing his eyes shut and prepared for the inevitable. He could hear his Navi yelling for him, but Hub didn't want to see himself being crushed by the virus!

"...Huh…?"

When the boy felt nothing after a suspiciously prolonged pause, he lowered both hands, daring to open his eyes to figure out what had happened. As he looked around, Hub noticed that the group of viruses attacking them were no long anywhere to be found, and standing in front of him with his sword raised was the form of another Navi. One that Hub was extremely familiar with.

"Blues!" Hub couldn't help but smile. He didn't need to see it to come to the conclusion that the Navi must have deleted the viruses and saved him from being crushed. And if Blues was here, that must mean Enzan was near as well! "Where's Enzan? Is he around here?"

Wordlessly, the Navi turned to face him, and Hub paused when he saw the scowl on the Navi's face.

"Are you completely daft?" Blues yelled at him. "Are you actually hoping to get yourselves killed by coming here?"


	210. Chapter 171

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: My mom got me a new bag for Christmas and I'm happy about that.

"I-"

Hub faltered. He stared at the Navi in front of him awkwardly. Something wasn't quite right, but the boy just couldn't place a finger onto it. Had Blues always talked like that…?

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Hub looked slightly behind the red Navi to see his younger sibling running towards them. Netto and X had probably taken care of the rest of whatever viruses that ambushed them. "What about you? We were just worried and decided to go look for you!"

"And I don't need your help!" Blues still had the scowl on his face. "Do me a favor; When the both of you leave, make sure you Full Syncro with your NetNavies on the way out. It'll save the both of us some trouble."

"Wh…" Struggling to his feet, Hub was beginning to put two and two together. "Blues… You're actually Enzan?" That would explain the Navi's unusual attitude… Though both Enzan and Blues acted socially distant, his Navi tended to be more subtle with his remarks. It only just occurred to Hub that the person they were talking to was not Enzan's Navi, but the operator himself.

Startled by the realization, Hub couldn't help but stare as Blues- Enzan?- walked on ahead, quickly disappearing into the darkened hallway. He turned to his younger sibling. "Did you know that he was Enzan all along?" Netto certainly acted as if they were talking to Enzan to begin with!

"Um…" The younger of the two rubbed the back of his head. "...I don't know. I got the feeling that something was weird. But I just acted how I would have talked to him, anyways."

"Wait a minute. What was that he said about Full Syncro?" It was X this time. The Navi seem particularly intrigued by something. "...Was that why Enzan was in Blues' body?"

The group was silent for a moment. Hub was still struggling to figure out how that would occur when Netto spoke once more. "Well, there's only one way to figure this out, right?"

His Navi seemed to have caught onto his plan. X nodded, grinning. "Right. Let's do this!"

"Alright!" Netto closed his eyes, concentrating. "Full Syncro!"

"W-wait!" Hub attempted to stop them. While Full Syncro normally allowed both Navi and operator to share their thoughts, he didn't know how it would be affected given that the digital world has basically collided with the real world! "Are you sure that's a good idea? We don't even know-"

Before he could finish, there was a flash of light as Netto and X entered into Full Synchro, and Hub shielded his eyes. When he re-opened his eyes, he saw X standing in front of him. His younger sibling was nowhere to be found. "X! Where's Netto?!"

The Navi appeared startled himself. "N-Nii-san! It's me!"

"What do you mean?!" Hub clutched the sides of his head with both hands. He couldn't recall the last time he'd been so lost. ""Did you… Are you  _inside_ X's body?!"

"I…" Raising his hands, it seemed that X- Netto?- was inspecting himself. "...I think so."

"Then where's X?!" The Navi couldn't have just disappeared after his operator took control over his body, right?

"He's… He's here, too." Netto said after a brief pause. "...This is so weird… I can still talk to him, at the back of my mind, but it's like we're sharing the same body…"

"Was that how Enzan and Blues had shared the same body…?" Hub frowned in thought. Under normal circumstances, he could only share his thoughts with Zero when they were in Full Syncro. He'd never once consider sharing bodies to be something possible, but perhaps this was a weird side-effect of the two of their worlds colliding…?

"Nii-san! That's it!" Netto's eyes lit up, as if a sudden thought had just occurred to him. "This will help us go deeper into the factory!"

"What?" His younger sibling could only mean Full Syncro. "How?"

"Because! If we're X and Zero, then we can actually fight and delete any viruses we happen to come across!"

"Th… That's not how it works!" Surely it can't be that easy, can it?

"Why not?" Netto tilted his head in question. "Just Full Synco with Zero, Nii-san! You'll see what I mean!"

Hub looked at his Navi briefly, and Zero shrugged in response. "They seem fine. I don't see the harm in trying…"

"Well, alright then…" Hub was still slightly uncertain, but he nodded. "Full Syncro!"

There was another flash as Hub and Zero fell into Full Synchronization. Once the light faded, only Zero's form remained.

"So?" Netto asked, walking up to the Navi. "How do you feel?"

"I…" The Navi fumbled around for a bit, touching the sides of his face. "O-oh my god, this is…"

"Amazing! Totally awesome, right?" Netto finished his sentence for him, grinning. "With this, we can fight any viruses we happen to come across!"

"D-don't be silly!" Sometimes, Hub really couldn't believe his younger sibling's recklessness. Hadn't they just been attacked by viruses? "How are we supposed to battle? Can we even access our Battle Chips like this?!"

" _...Actually, Hub-san."_  Hub jumped. It took him a moment to realize that the voice speaking to him was Zero.  _"Your Battle Chip folder appears to be completely digitized when we entered Full Syncro. I can access any of the chips you want at any time from here."_

"Are you serious?!"

"See? It's not problem, Nii-san!" Netto seemed to have known what just happened, judging from Hub's reaction. "Come on! We gotta catch up to Enzan- Who knows what else's inside of this factory!"

"Netto-kun!" Hub wanted to stop him, but the younger of the two was already bolting down the hallway. With no other choice, Hub began running after him.

* * *

" _Enzan-sama, something seems to be coming up from behind us."_

"Viruses?"

Summoning his sword, the boy turned around, fully expecting another group of virus to leap out from the dark towards him. Instead, he was met with an empty hallway, and the sounds of quickly approaching footsteps.

"Enzan! There you are!"

'Oh, no.'

The elder boy scowled as Netto got near. "What are you doing? I thought I told you to leave!"

"We're not going to let you go on ahead alone , Enzan!" Netto insisted. "Besides, it's better if we continue as a group so we can watch each other's backs! Right, Nii-san?" The boy turned towards his elder sibling once he had caught up.

"R-right…" Hub took a moment to steady himself. "...We still don't know what's up ahead, but whatever it is, it must have something to do with how the cyberworld was brought over into the real world. I don't know how dangerous such a thing will be, but it's better than facing it alone."

"Neither of you will listen, is that it?" Enzan groaned. "Fine! Come along if you're so insistent- Just don't get in my way!"

"Alright!" Netto didn't appear to mind the fact that the elder boy was practically yelling at him. "What are we waiting for then? Let's go!"

Ignoring Enzan's clear annoyance at them, the group moved onwards. The long hallways remained dark, with occasional viruses skittering across the floor and walls besides them, but the three boys progressed onwards without much hassle until the tunnel finally ended, and the cramped pathway opened up into a wide-open area, some sort of room.

"It's a dead end…" Hub mused out softly after a quick look around. He couldn't find anything that would allow them to move onwards.

"No. This is the right way." Enzan insisted, moving in front of a pair of closed doors. "We have to go forwards through here."

Netto knocked on the metal doors twice. "It's sealed completely shut, though- Hey!"

Enzan had shoved him aside. "Stand aside."

_Clunk!_   _Crack!_

Enzan swung his sword against the doors. What he hadn't expected was for his weapon to snap in half as it collided with the metal. "Damn it!"

"Maybe we just need more fire power to blast through it?" Netto asked as he aimed his buster at the door. Before he could fire, however, another voice stopped him.

"My, my. It seems like we're in quite the predicament, aren't we?"


	211. Chapter 172 (Confrontation)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Just finished a paper today, and still two more to go. After that I can somewhat enjoy my holidays.

All three of the boys turned. The newcomer wasn't someone they recognized. It was a man who appeared to be in his late forties.

"Wha… Who are you?" Netto asked him. They had to get past the group of Net Police Officers and go through hallways littered with dangerous viruses! Had the man followed them here without them knowing? "And how'd you get here?"

"Ah. Forgive me for startling you." The man apologized. "You can call me doctor Cossack. And as for how I got here…" There was a slight cough. "Well, I believe we have more pressing matters to discuss at the moment."

"Doctor… Cossack?" Hub squinted. The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite remember where he had heard it from. Netto and Enzan continued watching the doctor as he approached one of the computers near the closed doors. With several taps on the keyboard, the panels alining the walls turned on, streams of illegible coding flashing past the display screens.

"Before entering the premises of the factory, a did a scan of the entire area with my own devices." Cossack explained as he began to access something within the computer. "While most of the factory and the city around it seems to be experiencing some sort of cross-world phenomenon, whatever lies just beyond this door appears to lead directly into the cyberworld."

"Right…" Enzan appeared skeptical, while Netto just looked confused. "And what does that mean, exactly?"

"To grossly over simplify things, it means this door cannot be opened with brute force." Cossack continued. "You have to access it, like you would the internet."

With several more clicks, the room appeared to jolt as the doors leading into the cyberworld finally cracked open with a rumble. As they retracted with a long groan, the frame of the door appeared to slip away as if they were pieces of broken data, falling back into the digital realm past the doorway.

Netto gasped upon seeing what lied up ahead- It was the unmistakable pathways and networks that were distinctive to the cyberworld! "It's actually the net!"

Enzan was clearly unprepared by this revelation as well, staring through the doorway in silent awe. Hub was quiet as well, though unlike the other two boys, his attention was focused on the strange man who had just helped them open up the gateway leading to the cyberworld.

" _...Hub-san, did you see that?"_  Zero seemed to have noticed it, too.  _"That guy's programming skills… They might even be better than Dad's!"_

Then, something clicked.

"Doctor Cossack!" Of course! So that's why the name sounded so familiar! "You're the one who created the Black Shadow, Forte!"

That got the other two boy's attention. "For real?" Netto's eyes went wide. "You're Forte's father?"

"...Well, if you know already, then I suppose there's no point in hiding it, is there?" The man sighed. "Indeed. Forte was one of my creations."

"For real?!"

"Is that why you're here?" Enzan asked. "Because you believe you'll find him here?"

"..." Cossack was quiet for a moment. "...Perhaps. Whatever it is that has caused this anomaly… It is of my own negligence." He acknowledged. "I only hope that by lending my aid, I may begin to help rectify things, however little."

"It cannot."

Without warning, the display screens all blew out, one by one, plunging the room into darkness before the walls appear to crack and twist. Bits of the cyberworld were beginning to slip through from beyoung as lines of red coding flooded the room, cause the area to glow a deep shade of red.

"W-what was that?!" Having been closer to the door, Netto nearly fell over when the floor rumbled ominously. Something had gone horribly wrong. He could feel a terrifying, dark pressure being asserted onto them, and it sent chills down his spine, but he didn't know what it was.

"...Shit." Enzan seemed to have picked up what was happening. "...Something had come through from the cyberworld when we weren't looking…!"

A subtle shuffling sound broke off whatever the boy was about to say, and everyone in the room was suddenly made aware of the new presence among them. One with dubious intentions.

"F-Forte…!" Cossack's expression was unreadable. "It's… I can't believe…"

The Navi's eyes narrowed. "What's the matter,  _human?_ " He sneered, his voice equally enraged and disgusted. "Didn't think you'd see me again after leaving me to  _die?_ "

"...I never meant to." As much as Cossack wished to, he couldn't change what happened. "It was never meant to have happened-"

" _SILENCE!"_

The room cracked and jolted with the Navi's bellow, more of the glowing data flooding into the room, peeling away at reality. Cossack stumbled as some of the floor gave away underneath him.

"I don't care about any of your  _excuses._ " Forte raised a hand towards the doctor, a ball of growing energy crackling in his palm. "What I want… Is for you to perish for your betrayal!"

Discharge energy vibrated throughout the area. Forte balled his hand into a fist, the energy in his hand flickering for a brief moment-

"Are you actually kidding me right now?!"

Forte blinked. Bringing his other hand up, the dark Navi only just managed to summon his aura to block the oncoming shots. His attack interrupted, Forte allowed the energy to flicker and fade away, turning his attention towards the direction of where the ambush had come from. A cloaked figure was standing amidst the cloud of fading smoke.

* * *

Rockman was shaking. His heart was pounding in his chest. He suspected- He  _suspected_ , but he never actually thought-

"Is this what all of this is about?" Maintaining his composure was the least of Rockman's concern right now. "You did all of this- everything- Just for petty revenge?!"

"...Mega." Forte sighed, sounding oddly resigned. "You shouldn't be here."

"And why  _shouldn't_  I?!" Rockman took a step forward. "Do you even  _realize_  what you're doing, Forte?"

"I know full well what I'm doing." The other Navi was strangely unmoved. "It doesn't concern you."

"And what about the people who could have gotten- who've  _actually_  gotten hurt?!" Rockman yelled back. It was so obvious now, what the other Navi had been planning. The blue Navi had no idea how he could have missed it earlier, but perhaps a part of him just  _hadn't_  wanted to acknowledge it.

It all made sense now; How Forte knew about the Tetra Codes, and how WWW just happened to learn about doctor Hikari's secrete project. Forte had to be willingly working with WWW for that to have happened. He just didn't want to believe that Forte would do that to enact his revenge on Alpha and doctor Cossack. Rockman still wasn't sure how doctor Wily had managed to sway the other Navi to begin with, but he thought…

He just thought Forte would know better…!

"...I've made up my mind." Forte's words snapped Rockman out of his internal monologue. "...I don't want to fight you, Mega, but I can't allow you to stand in my way."

Rockman just stared at his response. A series of emotions rushed through him; shock, disbelieve, hurt, and then-

With a scream, Rockman leapt directly towards Forte in absolute, blinding rage.


	212. Chapter 173

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I was thinking about a RockmanEXE and Hamtaro crossover the other day, where all the NetNavies were hamsters and they have a "network" outside of their cages under the ground and all around the neighbourhood. It was really cute.

_Crash!_

Netto jumped. He'd been so preoccupied watching the Blue Myth confronting the Black Shadow that the sudden noise caught him off guard. Turning to look besides him, the boy saw the pile of damaged equipment and- after getting past his shock- realized that the trail left behind was from when Forte had swatted Mega aside.

"Shit…!"

"..." Having dealt with the interruption, Forte turned his attention towards them once more, his eyes falling upon doctor Cossack. The man had been watching the scene play out in shock. "As for you…"

"Doctor! Watch out!"

Enzan leapt in between the two of them just as Forte raised his hand, the dark Navi releasing a blast of energy from his palm instantly. The floor tiles broke and shattered completely, while the ceiling began to crack, bits of concrete and data descending from above. The two twins were knocked back just by the aftershocks from the attack.

"E-Enzan!" Netto scrambled to his feet immediately. He tried looking for sight of Cossack or the Enzan amidst the debris, but he couldn't see anything past all the smoke. "Damn it! Where are they?"

"Netto-kun." Hub placed a hand on his younger sibling's shoulder when he saw his intention to run forward and search through the wreckage. It wasn't as if Hub was unconcerned with what had happened to the rest of their companions, but they had more pressing things to worry about right now.

Such as the dark figure who was now staring intently at them.

Hub watched Netto as the boy took a deep breath. He was frightened by what had happened, but at least the younger of the two still realized they had to attempt to maintain a level head. It would do them no good to panic right now.

"...You two." Hub blinked. In the back of his mind, the boy had been trying to figure out some way to get out of this situation before the Navi unleashed his next attack onto them. He didn't expect the Navi to address them next. "If you're smart, you'll turn back right now."

"A-as if!" Netto somehow still had the courage to talk back despite how terrified he was. "That's Alpha behind that door, isn't it! We won't let you destroy the net by unleashing it!"

"Destroy the internet?" The Navi narrowed his eyes, but otherwise remained motionless. "Is that what you think I'll do with Alpha?"

_Rumble… Rumble…_

"...!" Hub's eyes went wide. Before any of them could say anything, the floor had started to shake. The cracks in the tiles appeared to widen, before something oozed up, filling up the broken space and threatening to spill out into the rest of the room.

"...It came from the cyberworld…" Netto said as he stared at the ominous, crimson liquid. The boy didn't know anything from the real world that even remotely resembled it.

"It's Alpha." Hub whispered back. As the ominous liquid rose, the boy noticed that pieces of the floor were sinking into it, breaking down, before being disintegrated completely. It was as if the liquid was breaking the  _real world_  down into data and absorbing it… "...It was going to consume the cyberworld if it was reawakened, but now that our two worlds are linked…"  _Alpha was going to consume the real world along with the cyberworld as well._

Had Alpha been awakened already? Were they too late?

"..."

Without another word, Forte disappeared back through the doorway into the net. As he left, more of the strange liquid began pouring into the real world from the cyberworld…

* * *

"Eeek!"

"W-watch out!"

"Guts Punch!"

A fist collided against a weird-looking virus, the impact blowing it apart, leaving behind some sort of strange liquid that appeared to be eating away at the floor, disintegrating it into broken data. With the threat gone, Gutsman stepped back, allowing their operators to help their friend up.

"Yaito-chan! Are you alright?" Maylu asked as she helped the smaller girl up.

"I'm- I'm alright…" Yaito still appeared shaken. "What were those things? They just jumped out out of nowhere…"

"I don't know." Tohru frowned. "I've never seen any sort of virus like that before, but I think they might have come from that abandoned factory…"

"Well, of course they came from the abandoned factory!" Dekao sounded both annoyed and concerned somehow. "All of the viruses came from that factory!"

"Everyone!" Maylu yelled for the rest of the group's attention. The girl had noticed something from afar. "There's more of those viruses coming!"

"What?!"

True to her words, more of the unknown viruses were sloshing up towards them in herds, leaving behind a trail of damaged data in their wake. Seeing the incoming threat, their Navies stood forward.

"There's so many of them." Glide aimed his canon at the viruses, eyeing the sluggish-looking creatures carefully.

"I- I'm not afraid of any weird viruses!" Iceman puffed up his chest.

"We can take them if we stay together!" Roll seemed nervous herself, but was trying her best to remain determined.

"Guts!" Gutsman brought his fists together. "Let them come! I'll smash them all to bits!"

The first of the viruses leapt, their shapes odd and distorted. Aiming her bow and arrow at one of the viruses, Roll fired. "Roll Arrow!"

Each of the projectiles landed their mark, piercing the virus' unstable form. But instead of damaging it, the arrow just sunk deeper into the virus' body, before disappearing completely.

"Wh…" Roll took a step back. "No way… It absorbed my attack…?"

"Iceman! Glide!" Tohru suddenly yelled out. "Watch out!"

Both Navies turned. Several of the unknown viruses had snuck up from behind them when they weren't looking. Iceman screamed as they leapt.

"Electric Blast!"

A ball of electricity shot past them, blowing the viruses into bits mid-air. As the dust faded, the group were surprised by who they saw.

"Elecman?" Maylu couldn't believe her eyes. Had the WWW Navi really just saved Tohru and Yaito's NetNavies?

"W-wait a minute!" Yaito appeared to have noticed the two other Navies behind Elecman. "Those are Fireman and Colouredman!"

The WWW Navies ignored their apparent shock. "Don't let your guard down when fighting these Alpha Bugs." Elecman told them. "If you let them get near you, you might end up being absorbed."

"Really?" Roll shivered. Had those viruses managed to latch themselves onto her friends…

"H-hey! And how do we know you're telling the truth?!" Dekao hadn't forgotten about what the three WWW Navies had done in the past. "We can't trust no WWW Navies!"

"..."

"Hey now! What's that supposed to mean?" Colouredman placed both hands on his hips as Elecman looked away.

"We don't know what you're up to!" Yaito appeared to share Dekao's sentiment completely. "You're working for WWW, aren't you?"

"Does it matter if we are or not?" Fireman scoffed, crossing his arms. "The Alpha Bugs being released from the factory will absorb everything in their path if they aren't stopped. If there's no world, then we all perish."

"We're trying to help control the spread of the Alpha Bugs." Elecman sighed. "We can talk about any grievances we've had afterwards, alright?"

"..."

The group of friends all shared a look. As much as they disliked it, they could see the logic behind such reasoning; There would be no point in arguing over whether the WWW Navies are trustworthy if the entirety of DenCity was destroyed, and right now, they needed all the help they could get.

"Fine- But just to be clear, I don't like this!" Dekao grunted. "And if any one of you do anything fishy, me and Gutsman will be the first ones to beat your ass!"

"Guts!"


	213. Chapter 174

"Found her!"

Netto threw the last of the debris aside. As he thought, being in Full Syncro with his NetNavi while the real world and the cyberworld were combined allowed him access to his NetNavi's strength, so the task was done with relative ease. He shook the Navi's shoulder- She must have been knocked unconscious by the blow. "Mega! Are you alright?"

"Ughnn…"

Rockman coughed, winced as he attempted to stand up. He rubbed the side of his chest. That hadn't been enough to actually damage him… But it still hurt, goddamnit!

"I'm alright…" Rockman sighed, allowing Netto to help him to his feet. "Thank you."

"It's nothing!" The boy smiled. "You aren't hurt anywhere, are you?"

"I'm fine." Rockman insisted, dusting himself off. His breath caught up in his throat briefly when he saw what had happened to the surroundings. "...Where's doctor Cossack?"

"He's okay." He heard Hub's voice coming from within the center of the room, over another pile of wreckage. Making his way over, he saw Hub and Blues with the doctor and Enzan. The latter two both appeared to be unconscious.

"Doctor Cossack got injured by the blast…" Hub explained, his expression worried. "Enzan had protected him from the brunt of the attack, but he ended up getting hurt himself…"

So that was why he and Blues had fell out of Full Syncro. "...I'm sorry."

Hub shook his head. "Don't be. None of us could have known the Black Shadow would just appear like that."

"..."

Rockman looked away; Though the reason he'd asked doctor Cossack for assistance was because he thought that he would be able to shed some light on the cross-world phenomenon and help them progress, a part of him also knew that Forte might very well take the opportunity as a means of revenge. Without thinking, he had wanted to use that moment to confront Forte, but if Enzan hadn't stepped in at the last moment- or worse, if anything happened to the boy…

He clenched his fists. That was the last time he let his anger get the better of him. Things could have gone horribly wrong, and he had been very fortunate that no one really ended up significantly injured.

"...Why'd you do that?"

"Huh?" Rockman was jerked out of his thoughts. He looked at Hub, blinking. "D-did what?"

"When you confronted the Black Shadow, and just threw yourself at him." The boy elaborated.

Biting his lips, the Navi looked away in guilt. "...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I… I just thought about what he'd done, and I guess I… lost my temper…"

"Well, I'm glad you're fine." Hub sighed. "You really shouldn't have done that. If the majority of your powers weren't transferred over into the real world with you, you could have been deleted."

In response, Rockman just stared at the boy for a brief moment. While he doubted Forte- even with his intentions of revenge- would hurt or delete him, the blue Navi nonetheless appreciated Hub's concern.

"...Thankyou." He gave the boy a small smile, before turning to were the closed set of doors used to be. The pathway leading into the cyberworld now appeared to be covered in some sort of sickly, red fluid, some of it oozing out through the doorway into the real world.

"I'll have access to all of my abilities once I go past that door and into the net." Rockman said, almost to himself. "If we happen to run into Forte-  _When_  we run into Forte once more, I'll be able to handle him."

"Right…" Netto squinted. The room had returned to normal once the Black Shadow retreated back through the doorway, though that left the area extremely dark, save for the dim, crimson light seeping through from the cyberworld. "We still need to go through there and stop Alpha before it consumes everything…"

Rockman turned back to the two people still unconscious on the floor. He looked at Blues. "Blues…"

"I'll stay behind and watch them." The red Navi knew what he was about to ask long before Rockman even said it. "They'll be fine."

Once the initial surprise had passed, Rockman beamed. "Thankyou, Blues!"

"For your sake, I hope you do better in your rematch." The red Navi frowned. "Whatever happened just now, it was outright disgraceful."

...Well, the red Navi wouldn't be himself if he didn't manage to sneak in an insult of some sort.

"Then there's no time to lose!" Netto had already approached the doorway. "Come on! We have to get after them!"

"N-Netto-kun!" Hub jumped to his feet the moment he saw his younger sibling leap through into the cyberworld. "Wait up!"

The elder of the two twins jumped into the cyberworld right after him. Rockman was about to follow, when he heard a soft cough from behind him. Turning to Blues once more, he gave the other Navi a questioning look. "Is something wrong?"

"...You're a strange Navi." Blues told him. "You're from the Undernet, yet you seem to be particularly invested in whatever's happening in the surface net…"

Rockman shrugged. "The surface net is much more interesting than the Undernet."

"It's not the surface net that you're interested in." Blues pressed. "Those two Hikari twins. They're important to you. Somehow."

That made the blue Navi freeze up. He thought he'd been discrete about it- Blues couldn't possibly know about his connection with Netto and Hub!

...Could he?

"Hmph…" Blues snorted. The Navi had been watching Rockman's reaction to his statement intently. "You don't have to tell me. Whatever the reason is, I'll figure it out, sooner or later."

Then, without waiting for Rockman to respond, he huffed. "Well? What are you just standing around here for? That Alpha beast isn't going to just take care of itself."

"Blues…" Despite everything the red Navi had said, Rockman could still tell that the other was concerned for him. He smiled. "Don't worry. With Netto and Hub's help, I'm sure we'll be able to defeat Alpha and stop him from consuming the world. You just make sure nothing happens to Enzan and doctor Cossack in the meantime, okay?"

"Tch." Blues still wasn't one for sentimentals. "Just go already."

Without another word, Rockman ran past the doorway and leapt back into the network. The moment he re-entered the cyberworld, the Navi felt something click within him, not unlike a lock being opened, before he felt a surge of data flooding him- The rest of his abilities that had been sealed away while he was in the real world.

Bringing a hand up, Rockman quickly checked to see whether his powers had indeed returned; flicking his wrist, the blue Navi was able to replicate the force used to deflect energy projectiles, and another quick scan through his own data showed that he now had full access to his storage of other Navies' key datas.

He nodded in approval, clenching his fists.

' _This is it. Alpha is just up ahead, and I'm sure I'll be seeing Forte once I get to it.'_  Rockman took a deep breath to steady himself, then sprinted ahead.  _'Now I just need to catch up with Netto and Hub…'_

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: We'll be seeing Forte again in the next chapter, and you all know what that means. I'll be seeing you the next update. Till then.


	214. Chapter 175 (Black and Blue)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Watching speedrunners play puzzle games is oddly satisfying. Also, I keep on getting surprised by Forte's voice in the original Japanese dub of the anime, because he has a lot deeper voice in the Cantonese version, which is the one I grew up with. Weird.

"Hehehe… Hehehahaha!"

Forte narrowed his eyes at the mad scientist laughing to himself. He knew the human had a screw or two loose in his head from the first time WWW attempted world destruction, but doctor Wily appeared to have gotten even more unstable since then, if that were possible.

"Thanks to the Tetra Codes you've brought me, Alpha is already beginning to wake!" The mad scientist coughed slightly after the laughing fit he'd had. "Now, there's only one final step before Alpha truly awakens!"

The dark Navi eyed the strange cubical-shaped pillar in front of them. It was pulsing with a soft, green hue.

"This is the final thing that's keeping Alpha sealed- The Guardian program!" Doctor Wily was grinning. "Destroy it, and you shall have the revenge you so seek!"

"Is that so…" Forte took a step towards the program.

"Once you destroy the Guardian program, nothing can stand in your way!"

"..."

' _That foolish old man still thinks my revenge is on network society. He doesn't realize as soon as Alpha emerges from its slumber, I'll blast it all to pieces.'_

Without another word, Forte raised his hand, a ball of energy quickly manifesting itself.

' _It's time. I'll destroy the thing that nearly destroyed me.'_

"Earth Breaker!" With a swing oh his hand, Forte flung his attack directly onto the program, the pillar shattering in an instant, its remnant data swiftly fading away into thin air. No one moment later, the ground began to shake and rumble. A deep groaning sound seemed to sound throughout the entire area, not unlike clockwork.

"Do you hear it?" Doctor Wily was laughing once more. "It's awakened! Alpha has awakened!"

"Hold it!"

Forte turned his head towards where the voice had come from, slightly surprised when he saw the younger Hikari boy- still in Full Syncro with his NetNavi- quickly approaching. The Navi frowned internally. He knew of the Hikari's twins tendency to rush into danger while knowing full well the dangers ahead, this was the one time he needed them to be cowardly.

Mega probably already hated him for what he'd done up till this point in time. He didn't need to add hurting the two Hikari twins onto the list of why his mate should despise him.

"Eh? Finally here, I see!" Doctor Wily cackled upon seeing the two twins. "Heh! It's too late! The final program keeping Alpha sealed as been destroyed! There's nothing you can do to prevent the original network from awakening!" The scientist paused, taking another moment to laugh maniacally, before continuing. "Say goodbye to network society as you know it!"

"What?" The elder Hikari boy must have took notice of their surroundings, but his younger twin was still surprisingly dense.

"You're lying! We're not going to let Alpha destroy the world!"

"..." Wordlessly, Forte approached the two twins. He could see the fear and uncertainty in their eyes, but they refused to flee, still.

Admirable, but not what he needed right now.

"In mere moments, Alpha shall resurface and consume everything in its path." Forte told them. "It is futile to attempt to stop it."

"Forte!"

"Yikes!" Netto ducked to the side just as a slash of wave collided against the Black Shadow's aura.

"..." Looking up, Forte could see the cloaked figure of the Blue Myth levitating towards him. "Mega…"

"Forte." Mega just looked at him. "You have to stop this, Forte."

For a moment, Forte wasn't sure what to say. The Navi knew he should feel bad, or at least ashamed for putting his mate through everything he did, but…

"I can't change my mind." He said. "Not now." Not when he was just a step away from fulfilling his goal.

He almost winced when the spike of  _hurt_  struck him, but Mega was quick to cover it with  _anger_  and  _determination_. "Fine. If you won't stop Alpha, I will."

"Heh." Forte didn't quite manage to hide his smile upon hearing that. It was just like Mega to do what he believed was right, regardless of circumstances. "...I'm sorry."

He'd said it in such a soft tone, but Forte was sure Mega had heard it regardless. Then, without warning, he unleashed a ball of energy towards the other Navi.

The initial  _surprise_  was there, but as his attack drew near to the other Navi, the shot curved, and Forte only had a moment to activate his Dream Aura before the ball of energy struck him. With a flick of his hand, Forte dissipated the smoke from the impact, unsure of how to feel about his predicament.

Mega had never intentionally deflected any of his attacks straight back  _towards_  him during any of their previous fights. The fact that he had done so now told Forte that Mega was serious about stopping him.

With a yell, Mega charged towards him. This time, Forte caught the other's sword in his hand before it could lodge itself into the side of his face.

Below the two Navies, Netto and Hub were watching the initial fight in a mixture of shock and awe. "Netto-kun! What're you doing?!" Hub caught his younger sibling by the wrist the instant he noticed the other boy stepping forward.

"Mega's up against the Black Shadow on her own!" Netto yelled back. "We have to help her somehow!"

"Don't be crazy!" Hub yanked his younger sibling back into an area of relative safety. He motioned towards the fight. "Just look!"

Quinting, Netto observed the battle from afar. The Blue Myth had now taken on a different form, slashing her sword at her opponent in quick succession. She was forced to leap back when Forte shot a hand forward, unleashing a close-ranged Earth Breaker directly towards her.

"Shit!" Netto cursed when the blast collided into the ground, shaking the entire area after missing its intended target.

"The scale of their battle is much greater than anything you see in the surface net." Net Battles in the surface net were divided into different scales of kilo, giga or mega depending on the power of the two Navies engaging in battle. But judging from what he saw…

The scale of the Blue Myth's battle with the Black Shadow has far surpassed that of mega- It was in the tera scale, and the thought alone was enough to send shiver down his spine.

"Then- Then what should we do?" Netto was conflicted. "You saw what happened with Mega when the Black Shadow first appeared- He just swatted her aside like she was nothing! What if it happens again?"

"It won't." Hub shook his head. "That only happened because Mega was limited in her abilities in the real world. She even told us the majority of her powers weren't accessible because of that. Remember?"

"So that means…" Netto turned back towards the ongoing battle. The Black Shadow had just fired several more shots at Mega, but the Blue Myth deflected all of the energy shots back towards her opponent. "She's fighting with her full strength now?"

Hub nodded. "That's right."

Netto frowned. "I'm still worried."

"Even if we go in right now, we can't help Mega. We'll just end up distracting her." Hub looked at his younger sibling, attempting to reason with him. "...Don't worry. Mega's not known to be one of the most powerful Net Navies in the Undernet for nothing. I'm sure she can handle herself, even if her opponent is the Black Shadow…"

"I hope you're right, Nii-san…" Netto winced as the area shook once more. "If we don't stop Alpha in time… I don't want to think about what would happened…"


	215. Chapter 176

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: After today I will no longer be an expert on code-switching, multilingualism and diglossia. Only one paper left to go.

"Stop that already." Forte was watching Rockman carefully as the blue Navi fired another series of energy shots from his buster, all of them bouncing off his aura harmlessly. "You know that doesn't work on me."

Rockman narrowed his eyes.  _'That's right. All of my long ranged attacks will be harmless to him because of his Life Aura…'_

"What if I smash you to bits with my fists instead?!"

He leapt towards the other Navi, and Forte just managed to sidestep the fist aimed directly at his face. He heard something behind him explode from the force.

"Tch." Frowning, the dark Navi swung one of his arms, parting his cloak. Gospel emerged with a howl and pounced upon Rockman, snarling. As the multi-bug organism bit down however, its teeth closed around something soft- It was a piece of the Blue Myth's cloak.

"Up here, you idiot beast!"

The moment Gospel looked up, several shurikens rained down upon it, striking it on its head and back. When Rockman reappeared once more, the Navi was now in Shadow Soul, sprouting a long, red scarf and deep purple garbs. Seeing that his target was now in sight, Gospel made another leap for the Navi, though the beast fell somewhat short, collapsing mid-pounce onto the ground. It laid there, unconscious.

Forte raised an eyebrow. "A sleep program?"

Rockman swung both his arms aside. In a puff of smoke, two copies of himself appeared besides him. "The same one you used on me."

All three of him struck at once, summoning a blade in their hands and slashing them at the dark Navi in unison. Forte deflected the first two attacks easily, the two illusions disappearing into smoke as Forte struck them. When the real Rockman got close, Forte swatted the sword out of his hands, before grabbing the other Navi, one hand gripping Rockman's wrist. His other hand had gone to the blue Navi's throat on instinct before Forte could stop himself.

Forte felt the other Navi tense underneath his palm. He dared not squeeze down. "...I don't want to hurt you." He told the other Navi, softly.

Rockman wasn't moved. "Then maybe you should've thought about that before you've gone and chased after Alpha like you had!"

Whatever Forte's retort was, it was cut short when Rockman's form changed once more. The dark Navi hissed and was forced to let the blue Navi go when an electric field shocked him.

"I can't believe you!" Rockman yelled, firing several bolts of lightning from his hands. Forte avoided his attacks with infuriating ease, though the area around them wasn't as fortunate. As each lightning struck, a deafening rumble echoed through their surroundings while the ground vibrated slightly. "How can you just go behind my back like that- Just to take your revenge for something that happened ten years ago?!"

"That's  _ENOUGH!_ "

Discharge energy washed through the entire area, shattering and splitting the ground in its wake. Rockman shrunk back slightly- Just the mentioning of what happened a decade ago was enough to completely anger the dark Navi.

"You were  _there_  when it happened, Mega." Forte's red eyes were now blazing with rage. "Don't pretend you didn't know what it felt like."

"I…" Rockman faltered slightly, before shaking his head to clear his doubts. He needed to focus right now. "I understand, Forte- You were hurt, too. You were disappointed by someone who you trusted so much, and angry at why they didn't come… I know why you'd want revenge, but that doesn't make it right!"

"And what do you suppose I do?" Canceling out of Elec Soul, Rockman only had enough time to direct the Earth Breaker away from him. The blast collided against a network of data paths behind him, bringing the whole structure down in an instant. "Just let it slide?  _Forgive_  him?"

"God damn it Forte, I'm not asking you to forgive him!" Rockman yelled back, countering Forte's attack with a ball of fire as he shifted into Fire Soul. "But what happens after you  _do_ get your revenge? Do you think it'll just somehow make you hurt less all of a sudden?!"

Forte visibly scowled. With a flick of his hand, he deflected Rockman's fire attack, causing another rumble throughout the network as it struck something else in their surroundings. "At least my anger will be quelled."

"Is that what you think?" Rockman pressed him. He knew Forte was angry, and that he needed to let go of this anger somehow- But not by  _killing_  someone! "Do you honestly believe that's true, Forte?"

"Stop it." Forte appeared to see through what he was trying to do. "I've told you before- I've made up my mind. You cannot sway me otherwise."

Rockman froze when he saw Forte bring both his hands in front of him. The dark Navi was preparing for his strongest attack- He could already feel the discharge energy from the other Navi shaking the entire area. Instantly, Rockman grew nervous. During their previous fights- and even their current fight up until this point- Forte had always been holding back from using his full power. But now…

' _No! I can't hesitate now!'_  Rockman grit his teeth.  _'There's not other way- I have to meet his attack head on!'_

Rockman quickly closed the distance between him and his opponent. Just as Forte unleashed his Earth Breaker at full power, Rockman exerted his own force, pushing Forte's attack  _backwards-_  What resulted was an explosion mid-air, shaking the ground as pieces of the network began to crack and break as the cyberworld in the area grew unstable from the fight.

"M-Mega!" Among the wreckage resulted from the battle, Netto attempted to call out to the blue Navi once he regained his bearings. "Shit! She's not deleted, is she?!"

"Netto-kun." Hub placed a hand on his younger sibling's shoulder to prevent him from doing anything reckless. "...They're both in the crater inside the smoke…"

Both Navies were now on the ground, the impact leaving them both damaged. Clutching his chest, Rockman panted. He really didn't want to continue his fight with Forte, but he wasn't going to give up if the dark Navi still insisted on following through with his revenge. "Forte…"

"..." Forte stared back. The hesitance was clear in his gaze, but-

"Wh…" Before either Navi could continue their exchange, something had seeped through the cracks in the floor and latched itself onto their feet. Looking down, Rockman saw that it was the strange, red liquid from before. "...!"

"Hm. What a shame." A voice suddenly said, breaking the silence. "I was hoping that the two of you would delete each other."

Rockman's eyes went wide. Damn it- He'd forgotten about doctor Wily completely!

"Alpha!" The mad scientist yelled, raising one hand into the air. "Absorb them both!"

Pillars of the ominous, red fluid exploded from the ground, swiftly engulfing the two NetNavies. Rockman was drained from his battle with Forte, and found himself unable to escape as he fell deeper and deeper into the strange liquid.

"Mega!" Out of the corner of his eye, Rockman saw Netto running towards them. Turning the best he could, the Navi put his hand up, telling the brunette to stop.

"Netto-kun!" Rockman gasped as he sank deeper into the liquid. "Run- Don't come any closer…!"

With that, Rockman was swallowed completely, and everything faded away into darkness.


	216. Chapter 177 (Alpha)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I've finally finished two extra chapters for Bad Omens… I plan on having four at the moment, so that's at least half of the work done- Not counting the cover arts for these chapters, of course. Also, looking at the pages, this doujinshi seemed a lot more content-heavy than the last one… Ho boy.

Netto was frozen in shock and terror as he watched the two Undernet Navies being swallowed by the strange liquid. The fluid bubbled for a second, then sunk back into the ground, as if it hadn't been there just a moment before. "N-no… No way…!"

"Hehehehe! Finally- They're gone!" Doctor Wily was cackling insanely to himself. "Now no one can stand in my way!"

Hub ran up to Netto, grabbing his younger sibling by his wrist. He wanted to yank the other boy away to relative safety, before anything else can happen. "Netto-kun!"

Netto didn't budge an inch. He was scared himself, and he knew the elder boy was just concerned for him, but… "That was Alpha, Nii-san! We can't just run!" If that  _thing_  were to escape through the doorway leading into the real world…

"Hehehahahah!" The mad scientist clapped his hands. He seemed amused. "How brave- But it's worthless! It's all worthless!" He motioned towards the two Hikari twins. "Alpha- Absorb them, too!"

The two boys took a step back, holding onto each other's hands as they looked around nervously. The floor was shaking, and the same rumble from before could be heard. Pillars of the red liquid bursted out from the ground once more, but instead of the Hikari twins, they shot towards doctor Wily instead.

"Wh- What?! No! This can't be!  _NOOOO-_ "

The mad doctor's scream was cut off as the fluid engulfed him whole. Netto cursed again as they watched doctor Wily disappear into the floor. "Alpha's absorbed him, too!"

"It can't be controlled." Hub realized. The boy was shaking. "It'll just consume everything in its path…"

A digitized screech came from all around them, and the two twins covered their ears wincing. Before them, the floor appeared to be giving away, pieces of the platform breaking down and disappearing into the dark abyss below, before becoming filled with the strange, red fluid. It bubbled, squirmed, then rose, taking a shape that somewhat resembled a round body.

"Wh… What  _is_  that?" Netto whispered as something emerged from the main body, the extended limbs appearing soft and malleable before quickly taking on a metallic shine; the thing had grown claws and a head from its body. As its head formed, the singular, crimson eye flashed once. Its gaze fell upon the two petrified boys before it, and the thing screeched again, shaking the network with its scream.

"That's Alpha." Hub said softly, as if speaking any louder would startle the beast.

Netto frowned. "We gotta stop it, Nii-san."

"Are you crazy?!" Hub hissed at his younger sibling. "Did you see what that thing just did? If we don't run, we'll be swallowed, too!"

"That's exactly why we can't run." Netto shook his head. "If that thing gets out… It'll swallow the real world whole!"

"Are you saying we should  _fight_ it?" Hub looked at Netto as if he'd gone mad. "That thing just absorbed two of the most powerful NetNavies in the Undernet! How are we supposed to fight against that?!"

"I don't know." Netto said. He was being brutally honest. "But… We can't just not try. If we run, and that thing destroys the entire world, then…"

Hub just stared at his younger sibling, before he sighed. "...You're right. We can't just let Alpha escape without a fight." The elder boy admitted. "If we do, I don't think I can ever live it down…"

"Don't worry." Netto gave his elder sibling a quick glance. He'd noticed Hub's uncertainty. "We've defeated WWW together once before, hadn't we? As long as we stand together, we can totally beat WWW again!"

"Right…" Hub was a bit more skeptical about their chances, but the boy knew there was no backing out of this one.

" _I hope you haven't forgotten about me, Hub-san."_  He heard Zero talking to him from the back of his mind.  _"And X is here as well- We'll all fight together to defeat Alpha!"_

The beast let out a metallic screech and began to strike. Raising one of its claws, Alpha brought it down on where the two boys were standing. Both Netto and Hub lept away to avoid being crushed.

"Now's a good time for me to try out our Battle Chips, huh?" Netto smiled to himself despite his nervousness.

" _Right!"_  X agreed with him.  _"Just use any chip you have saved in your chip folder! I'll back you up any way I can!"_

The boy raised a hand towards Alpha. Something clicked at the back of his mind, and a canon had formed in his hand, just like he had seen X done many times before.

Netto grinned. He took aim. "Hi-Canon!"

The shot collided with the side of Alpha's limbs. The beast roared, but appeared mostly unaffected. It swung its claw towards the boy in retaliation.

"Area Steal!"

Before the claws could tear into him, Hub had grabbed him by the arm. The two of them teleported a distance away, feeling the ground shake from where Alpha hand collided with the platform. "Netto-kun! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" The younger Hikari sighed in relief. "But I didn't even manage to put a dent in it!"

"Hm." Hub appeared to be pondering something. "Let me try."

There was a metallic grind coming from the beast as it retracted its arm, preparing to strike once more. Hub stepped forward, raising a hand. "Z-Saber!"

The green saber formed in his hands, and Hub ran straight towards the Alpha beast. The beast's singular eyes gleamed, and it slashed its claws at Hub.

_Crack!_

"Gh…!" As his weapon collided with the beast's metallic limb, the impact shattered the saber and threw him backwards, the broken pieces of the saber quickly disappearing. "D-damn! Not even the Z-Saber can get through…!"

"Nii-san! Watch out!"

Hub looked up, only to see Alpha's claws barreling down towards him. He screamed and shielded his eyes from the sight, expecting to be crushed. Netto ran forward and yanked his elder sibling out of the way just before the beast's fist collided into the ground. The crater was visible once Alpha raised its hand after realizing it had missed its target.

"Shit!" Hub had lost count of the times Netto had cursed since they've entered into the cyberworld, but the elder boy could hardly blame his sibling- He was having a hard time maintaining his composure as well. "Nothing! Can we not hurt this guy?!"

_Skreeeeee!_

Hub stared at the Alpha beast at it screamed once more. None of their Battle Chips appear to be doing any damage… But if there something else that could?

"Netto-kun."

Hub had a sudden epiphany at the thought. His younger sibling gave him a questioning look. "What is it, Nii-san?"

"We're going to have to Style Change as our NetNavies."


	217. Chapter 178

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I just watched a video where the guy playing the game referred to doctor Wily as "Doctor Willie" and I'm crying.

"Style Change?" Netto blinked. It had been quite a while since they attempted Style Change; Hub had been insistent that they didn't use the power for fear of people trying to take advantage of the program like Gospel had, that and there hadn't be many situations where the twins found themselves completed outmatched without the use of Style Change.

...Their current fight might be quickly becoming one of those situations, however.

The ground underneath them gave away when Alpha slammed its fists down, both twins ducking out of the way to avoid being hit. "None of our normal attacks are damaging it! We need to try something else, or we'll just end up being absorbed by it!" Hub reasoned.

Netto turned to look at the original network, its red eye looking down at them. He could understand what his elder sibling was trying to say, but- "We've never Style Changed in the real world, though!" Netto wasn't sure what would happen if it were he instead of his NetNavi who ended up being in control of Style Change- Would he go insane from the power like Zero had?

"I know that!" Hub summoned a barrier around him just as Alpha's eye flashed once, and a beam of energy shot out from the orb. "But what other choice do we have? This might be our only chance to defeat Alpha!"

"Alright- Alright!" The younger boy inhaled deeply- Damn it, he hoped he still remembered how to enter Perfect Syncro with his NetNavi. "X, are you okay with this?"

" _I think Hub is right."_  He heard X tell him.  _"Nothing we do right now appears to be working. This might be the only way we can do some damage to it."_

"Well, if you're sure-"

_Skreeee!_

Alpha shot its claws towards Hub when it saw the boy quickly approaching. Instead of ducking out of the way, however, the elder Hikari ran straight into the line of fire. Seconds before Alpha's attack connected, a bright line shone from the Navi emblem on the boy's chest. Raising one hand, Hub had caught one of Alpha's claws aimed at him. Once the light faded, the boy's appearance had changed; instead of resembling his NetNavi, a pair of dark wings now sprouted from the boy's back, and his armour had taken on a deeper shade. Alpha seemed to be screaming in rage once it realized it was unable to move its claws.

"I've got you now!" Hub grinned. With a flap of his wings, Hub flipped, and hurled the appendage towards the ground, breaking the limb and shattering the floor.

_SKREEEEEEE!_

"X! Did you see that?" Netto was beaming. Nii-san looked so cool!

" _Netto-kun! Don't just stand there and watch!"_  X sounded exasperated.  _"Help him!"_

"O-oh!" The boy blushed. He ran to join his elder sibling. "I'm on it!"

Alpha was screeching as it flailed its remaining arm around. Its red eye locked onto the winged figure hovering in front of it. With a scream, it made a swing for the boy.

"Charged shot!"

The metallic limb exploded, breaking away into pieces of data as Netto's energy shot collided with it; The boy now appeared to don a lighter shade of armor, his arm cannon still smoking slightly as he aimed it at the original network. "Hey- Don't forget about me!"

_SKREEEEEEE!_

"Hm?" Hub frowned. The boy put some distance between him and Alpha when he saw the beast's main body twist and deform. Was something else emerging from inside of it? "Netto-kun, stay back!"

"Huh?" The younger of the two boys was confused, but he did take a step back. "What is it doing?"

With a snarl, another set of limbs grew out of the beast's main body. Alpha took another swing at Hub, this time hitting the boy and sending him flying.

"Nii-san!" Netto ran to where his elder sibling had fallen. "Are you okay?!"

"I'm-" Hub coughed as he attempted to sit up. Netto yanked him out of the crater. "I'm fine. Thanks."

"That thing just re-grew its arms!" Once he was sure his elder sibling was alright, Netto aimed his weapon at the besat once more. "We gotta destroy it again!"

"No, wait." Hub placed his hand on Netto's shoulder, stopping his younger sibling. "Don't do that. It's absorbing data through the cyberworld to regenerate itself. If we attack him like we did before, we'll just be wasting our strength."

"Wha…?" Netto bit back his question when Hub motioned downwards. Following the other boy's gaze, Netto saw the dim, glowing web that was spread out beneath them. The boy's eyes widened when he realized the red lines seemed to be leading the data towards a centralized point.

Following the lines of flowing data, Netto traced it back towards Alpha- More specifically, the beast's main body, where its central point seemed to be pulsing and glowing with the absorbed energy.

"You see it, right?" Hub whispered to him, as if he was afraid that Alpha would pick up on what they were planning. "If we want to stop it from regenerating, we'll have to attack it there."

"And how're we going to do that?" Netto frowned. The glowy thing was tucked away deep inside of Alpha's body- How were they supposed to reach it without getting hit, or absorbed into the beast itself?

"...Leave that to me." Hub said, after a short moment of contemplation. "I'll take care of it. You just open up a path for me so I can get close to Alpha, okay?"

"...Okay." Netto nodded. The boy didn't look pleased about Hub's suggestion, but was unable to come up with anything else. "But be careful, Nii-san!"

"I will." The elder boy gave him a reassuring smile. "Alright then- I'm counting on you!"

"You can count on me!" Netto sprung into action. The boy ran directly towards Alpha, screaming and yelling to get its attention. "Hey! You big pile of scrap data! Over here!"

Alpha's eye flickered once, as if the beast were blinking. Its followed the boy with its gaze.

_Skreee!_

Netto skidded to a stop when he saw Alpha raising both hands, preparing to strike him. "That's it! Come get me!"

With a digitized scream, the two limbs lunged towards him, but Netto was expecting the attack. He raised both hands, transforming them into a canon.

"Nii-san! Now!"

Netto fired the full-powered Zeta-Canon the moment Alpha's claws attempted to close up around him, piercing through and shattering the appendages in an instant. Hub caught onto the cue, and the boy jumped into the air. Flapping his wings, he followed the beam of energy from Netto's attack, now heading directly for the beast's main body.

Alpha screamed, the shrieking sound vibrating through the air as the attack connected. It shrunk back, writhing and wriggling. The roots at Alpha's base glowed as it attempted to absorb more data in order to regenerate the large, gaping hole Netto's attack had left in its body, but Hub was quickly closing in on it.

"Take this!"

With a final flap of his wings, Hub rammed himself straight into Alpha's body, slashing the beast's core wide open.


	218. Chapter 179

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: My mom's been falling really ill recently. I hope nothing bad happens to her.
> 
> A/N2: I can't believe I never realized the joke about doctor Wily being in another castle in the classic series.

Hub bursted out from Alpha's back just as the beast's form began collapsing, the spherical shape of its body wobbling and melting, then crumbling onto the ground with a loud splash.

"Nii-san!" Netto ran over to his elder sibling. "You're alright!"

"Yeah." Hub appeared to be cringing from the liquid that was now stuck to his hair and body. "I guess I am."

"You scared me! I thought you weren't going to make it out alive!" Netto pouted for a moment. "...But I gotta admit, you looked totally awesome when you defeated Alpha." The younger boy grinned, as if he'd completely forgotten what he had been displeased about just moments prior. "You saved the world, Nii-san!"

"Don't say that." Hub quickly corrected him. "You helped, too. Besides, we couldn't have done it without our NetNavies." The elder boy tilted his head in thought. "That being said- Enzan and that doctor Cossack helped us, too- We wouldn't have been able to make it this far otherwise."

"Ah!" Netto was reminded of something. "Nii-san… What do you suppose happened to Mega and the Black Shadow…?"

"That's…" Hub frowned- He'd been so focused on not dying during their fight with Alpha that he'd completely forgotten about the two Undernet Navies. He assumed that perhaps the two of them would return once they defeated Alpha, but there was still no signs of them whatsoever.

Unless…?

Hub gasped. The moment he finished the thought, the strange fluid that made up Alpha's body erupted from the floor directly underneath them. He attempted to run, but the liquid had already latched itself onto the two of them.

"Ugh!" Hub gasped, struggling as he felt himself being pulled under. "N-Netto! Are you alright?" The other boy wasn't caught in this trap along with him, was he?

"I'm- I'm fine!" Out of the corner of his eye, Hub could see his younger sibling attempting to break loose next to him, but to no avail. He cursed internally. "Damnit! What is this thing?"

_Skreee…_

The digital screech broke Hub out of his thoughts. Turning to where Alpha was once defeated, the boy's eyes widened as he watched the red liquid beginning to rise once more, taking on the round shape of the beast's main body.

"It's regenerating itself again…!" Once Hub's initial shock had passed, the boy doubled his efforts into escaping. He thrashed around with his arms and wings, but only succeeded into tiring himself out. "God damn it!"

"Nii-san…!" Netto sounded unusually nervous as he spoke. "Wh… What is that…?"

It only took a single glance to know what the other boy was regering to; Alpha's body was twisting and deforming. Something was extending from the beast's round body, squirming and writhing. Hub grit his teeth.  _'Don't tell me it's some sort of weapon…!'_

Then, the surface of the liquid  _bursted_ , and something emerged from it; It was a cloaked figure with a finned helmet.

"Forte?" Netto was shocked. "He's escaped from Alpha?"

_Sk-kreee!_

Alpha's body contorted, then bursted once more. Another figure emerged, this one also sprouting a cloak and finned helmet as well. "Two Fortes?!"

"...!" Hub seemed to have noticed something. "Netto-kun, look!"

"What?" Netto caught onto his elder sibling's change in tone, but didn't quite understand the reason for it. "What is it?"

"Look closer!" Hub motioned to one of the Navies as best he could. "Those aren't two Fortes- One of them has green eyes, don't you see?"

"What? No way!" Netto squinted. "You're telling me that… That's Forte  _and_  Mega?!"

Hub fell quiet- That was exactly what he was trying to say. He knew that the Blue Myth was capable of taking on another NetNavi's likeness to gain access to their abilities- But the boy just couldn't fathom that a NetNavi as prideful as the Black Shadow would allow another NetNavi access to their key data! The two NetNavies were known to be mortal enemies in the Undernet, for crying out loud!

...Could it be that the two Navies have decided to work together against their common enemy…?

_Skreee!_

Alpha struck with its claws, enraged, though neither Navi made the effort of avoiding the attack. Instead, the Black Shadow raised one hand, catching Alpha's entire limb and halting it in its tracks.

"Tch."

Grabbing hold of the appendage, Forte threw the entire limb back at the beast with a flick of his hand- In its weakened state, the beast was unable to defend itself. It screamed in a mixture of anger and panic as it was struck. The parts of Alpha that had been damaged prior and not yet fully regenerated were quickly falling apart once more- The original network was standing on its last legs. Whatever it was attempting, it was doing anything in its power to survive.

However, it didn't seem that the Black Shadow had any intentions of allowing it to do so. He turned to the Blue Myth, giving he a quick nod. "It's time to finish this."

Screaming, Alpha's singular eye flashed, and it fired a beam of energy towards the two Undernet Navies- A final effort to protect itself, but the two Navies avoided the attack with ease. As they approached the beast, both Navies raised a hand, a swirl of energy quickly manifesting itself in their palms.

"Double Earth Breaker!"

In unison, the two strongest Navies in the Underneath unleashed the combined force of their full attack. The blast of energy collided into the original network at point black, the impact filling the entire area in a blinding light. As the two Hikari twins covered their eyes, all they could hear was the fading screams of Alpha as it was swiftly disintegrated.

* * *

"Gh… That was close…"

Looking back, Enzan now saw the abandoned factory sinking into the ocean, mostly probably heading to join whatever remains of the Battle Dome from the first N1 Grand Prix. The boy had regained consciousness just as the entire facility began to shake and crumble- Though the boy didn't know exactly what happened from the time he passed out to when the building started collapsing, he had a suspicion it had something to do with what happened in the cyberworld, just through the doorway leading into it.

There hadn't been enough time for him to investigate, however. Doctor Cossack was still injured from their run-in with the Black Shadow. Trusting that the Hikari twins were able to get out of whatever trouble they found themselves in, Enzan fell back into full syncro with his NetNavi, and just about managed to make it out of the factory with the doctor before the building crumbled into the sea.

"Thanks for helping me out of there…" Doctor Cossack sighed, rubbing his temples while watching the scene play out before him. "...But weren't there two other boys with you?" What happened to them?

Enzan frowned, still staring at where the factory used to be. "I don't know."  _'Damn it… Nothing had better happened to the both of you, or I swear…!'_

"Oi! Eznan!"

"What the…"

Looking up, the white-haired boy saw the cloaked form of the Blue Myth approaching them. Behind her were the two Hikari twins, afloat in the air surrounded by a pack of luminous butterflies- The Undernet Navi must have helped them escape from the facility before it sank. Seeing this, Enzan let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.

"What happened?" The boy asked once the two twins and the Undernet Navi landed on solid ground before him. "Did you take care of Alpha?"

"Don't worry- Alpha's gone for good!" Netto was beaming. "You should've seen it, Enzan! He got blasted to bits by Mega and the Black Shadow!"

Enzan raised an eyebrow. That can't be right. "The Black Shadow…?"

_Thud._

The three boys jumped at the sound. Turning, Netto and Hub realized that the Black Shadow had landed somewhere behind them, and-

Hub tensed, a sudden sense of dread washing over him. This was bad- The Undernet Navi appeared motionless as he stood, but he was staring directly at the person behind Enzan- His creator, doctor Cossack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N3: Hey guys, so in case it wasn't obvious, we'll be wrapping up the Alpha arc and diving directly into the next arc in the next chapter! And for those of you who are worried about Forte getting off the hook too easily... Don't worry. He'll suffer plenty in the next arc to come. Cheers.


	219. Chapter 180 (Fortissimo)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I can finally resume working on the Bad Omens doujinshi after tomorrow. I also want to include an extra booklet thing for some Yokai Scandal stuff, so that'll be fun to get my hands onto. Anyways, enjoy your introduction to the next arc.

Rockman's heart stopped when he saw Forte taking a step forward. He knew how betrayed Forte felt by doctor Cossack and, subsequently, how much the other Navi had grown to hate and despite the man he used to see as a father. But despite all that- Rockman just couldn't justify allowing Forte to kill the man as revenge. "Forte…"

The Navi glanced in his direction, his expression unreadable. Rockman bit his lips. "...Please. Don't do this."

He had somewhat expected Forte to react with anger, snapping at him to stand aside. Instead, the other Navi just seemed… conflicted. "I can't forgive him."

"You don't have to." Rockman acknowledged. Even if he now knew the reason for doctor Cossack's absence during the Alpha Incident, the blue Navi had to admit that even would have a hard time forgiving the man had he been in Forte's position, especially given how much trust and faith the dark Navi had for the doctor. Rockman wasn't going to expect Forte to do something if even he wasn't able to reasonably do himself. "I know you still hold a lot of hate and disappointment towards him, and it would be unreasonable to expect you to forgive him despite all of that…" Rockman attempted to meet the other Navi's gaze. "I understand that you want some form of closure, or resolution for your anger… But you can't do that by killing him, Forte."

Forte narrowed his eyes. He turned his attention back towards the man in question, who appeared understandably unnerved by the two Navies' conversation regarding his death. "And why shouldn't I?"

"What will happen after you  _do_  kill him, Forte?" When the other Navi gave him a questioning look, Rockman merely continued. "Forte. Please think about it for a moment. Will killing him change how you feel about him? Will it make you feel less angry about what happened?"

"..."

"I… I know you're angry and hurt by what happened." The blue Navi approached Forte slowly. "...But, you don't have to go through it alone, Forte." He took the other Navi's hand, looking up at Forte. "...Please. Let me help you."

The intacamy of their interaction did not go unnoticed. The rest of the group were watching the two Undernet Navies with a mixture of shock and bafflement.

"W… weren't they rivals in the Undernet?" Netto couldn't help but wonder; Despite witnessing the Blue Myth's battle with the Black Shadow… The boy wasn't so sure that the nature of the two Navies' relationship was simply that of enemies anymore.

" _Y-you're right…"_  X appeared startled by the scene before them as well. The Navi knew Mega to be someone who was very much kind and forgiving, but it was still surreal in a way, to see the Blue Myth extend such an attitude towards the Black Shadow- The Navi who was heavily rumoured to want nothing more than to delete her and take her abilities!  _"...Maybe they're secretly friends…?"_

No one dared to move a single inch as the two Undernet Navies continued to stare at the other, though the seemingly intimate moment was quickly broken when Forte dislodged Mega's hand with a flick of his own. "...I'm sorry. But I can't."

Netto and Hub tensed, the two boys taking a step forward- They weren't just going to stand aside and watch someone get killed, even if that meant they would have to go up against the Black Shadow himself. The disbelief on Mega's face was obvious, though the blue Navi quickly hit it by ducking her head and biting her lip. "...No, Forte.  _I'm_  sorry."

Without warning, the Blue Myth had her buster aimed directly at Forte- The Undernet Navi was only able to widen his eyes in shock before Mega shot him, knocking him aside.

After that, a quick sequence of things occurred. The floor had erupted into flames as something shot down from the sky, splitting the ground clean in half. Hub had to yank his younger sibling back to stop him from falling down into the rising seawater from where they were standing near the shore.

"Shit! What the heck was that?!" Enzan had been standing further back, but the sudden rumble nearly knocked him over as well. Alpha had already been dealt with, hadn't it?

"...!" Getting to his feet, Forte abruptly realized that Mega had pushed him out of the way of that blast. Panicked, the dark Navi turned to were his mate was when the blast connected- Mega was still standing among all the flame and smoke, but he was struck with the heavy weight of guilt and terror when it appeared that the other Navi was visibly hurt.

' _He chose to push me out of the way instead of saving himself…!'_

"...Forte." Mega was smiling for some reason as he addressed him. "I need you to promise me something."

"Mega?!" Forte was at a complete lost as to why Mega was acting as calmly as he was- What was happening? It was as if the other Navi  _knew_  this was going to happen…!

He knew that his mate was mysterious. He knew that Mega sometimes knew about things he wasn't supposed to- But this was one of those times he needed Mega to stop acting so mysterious god damn it!

Mega ignored his clear confusion. "Forte… You have to promise me that, no matter what happens… You mustn't be consumed by your own anger or hate… Okay?"

"What do you mean?" Forte yelled back- He wanted answers! "Mega?!"

His mate merely gave him a final smile before collapsing- Someone else had emerged from the smoke and struck the Navi from behind. Forte was overcome with an instant feeling of overwhelming rage as he watched the unknown figure approaching the unconscious Navi.

" _YOU STAY AWAY FROM HIM YOU BASTARD!"_

Forte was screaming incoherently as he shot towards the dark figure with his fist raised, fully intended to knock the unknown figure to pieces. Instead, the figure merely caught his fist mid-air as Forte swung to strike him.

"Tsk, tsk." The figure taunted him. "Come now. There's no need to fret."

Forte felt his arm being grabbed. Before the Navi could fully comprehend the situation, he was thrown backwards by an incredible force. The Navi was flung through the air, before colliding into the ground with a deafening  _boom._

"...!" Hub paled as the floor behind them shook from the impact- The Black Shadow was one of the strongest Net Navies in the Undernet, and he was just flung aside as if he was nothing…!

"Now, where was I…?" The smoke appeared to be fading as the figure moved. "...Ah. That's right…"

Netto gasped once the smoke cleared and they were able to see the Navi responsible for the sudden mayhem. "Nii-san! That's- That's…!"

Hub just frowned, staring at the Navi before them. The elder of the two twins couldn't fault Netto for his shock- He was having a hard time believing what he was seeing as well!

The Navi who currently had the Blue Myth in his arms… Appeared to be a reserve mirror-image of the Black Shadow himself; This Forte sprouting dark, amethyst eyes and a silver-finned helmet instead of gold.

"Y… you're not Forte, but you look like him…" Reason told Hub that there couldn't possibly be  _two_  Black Shadows… right?

"Hm. Aren't you the bright one." The strange 'Forte' gave him a mild look of annoyance, before grinning. "But you're correct. I'm not the Black Shadow that you know of, persey- I've merely borrowed his appearance."

"Borrowed his appearance?" It was Netto this time. "Then- If you're not Forte, then who are you?"

"Me?" 'Forte's' expression shifted to one of slight amusement. "I suppose I'm what you humans call a 'Dark Soul'- An embodiment of pure hatred and negativity."

Netto and Hub gave each other a quick glance- Neither of them had heard the term "Dark Soul" before, much less know about what it was.

"W-well, whatever you are, you better let Mega go!" Netto yelled at 'Forte'- The boy hadn't forgotten that the Blue Myth was still in the other NetNavi's hands.

"I'm afraid that cannot be done." 'Forte' said. "I still have a use for the Blue Myth."

"Use?" Netto grit his teeth- The boy didn't like the sound of that. "What use?"

"Well… I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise just yet." Carrying Mega with both hands, 'Forte' took a step back, the area around him twisting in its dimensions. "But if you must know- The Blue Myth will be helping us usher in an era of darkness among network society!"

"Us? Era of darkness?" Things were getting way too complicated and confusing, much too fast for Hub's likling.

"Heh…" 'Forte's' form was quickly fading as the Navi was transported back into the cyberworld. "Don't worry. I'm sure we'll be seeing each other... _Very_ , very soon."

With that, the replica Forte had disappeared completely, taking the Blue Myth with him.


	220. Chapter 181

"… _Well, are we back on live now…? Oh, we are? That's good…"_

" _A-ahem! This is_ _Kero Midorikawa, live in Den City, and there are now several updates since the last new segment! For one, the source of the strange aura causing NetNavies and viruses to materialize in the real world has mysteriously vanished! Currently, the Net Police are restricting access to the shoreline where the abandoned factory used to be for safety concerns, as the area there seemed to have become unstable."_

" _As for the second update which most people have probably noticed by now, the cyberworld appears to be fading from the real world! Perhaps due to the disappearance of the abandoned factory, not only has the virus attack been stopped, but NetNavies and programs are gradually being transported back into the digital world!"_

" _However, despite what many are now calling the "cross world phenomenon"'s brief occurrence, many are beginning to speculate where this technology that was able to bring digital data over into the real world had come from, and how it can be applied towards advancing network society. As of yet, however, those at SciLabs are dedicating the majority of their resources towards restoring Den City's network. Normal functionality and network services are expected to return to normal in the coming few days…"_

* * *

"Phew… It was a bit of a surreal experience, getting to be in the same world as you are, Netto-kun." X sighed, still appearing somewhat started by the occurrence. "But, well… Even if things have returned back to normal now, I still enjoyed the time we spent together in the real world- No matter how brief it was!"

"Hey- What do you mean you 'enjoyed the time we spent together'?" The boy was holding his PET as he pouted. "Don't say it like that! You make it sound like you're about to leave or something!"

"Sorry! I didn't mean it like that!" The Navi scratched the back of his head, laughing somewhat apologetically. "Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere, anytime soon."

"You better not!" He gave his Navi one last look, before turning to his elder sibling, quickly taking note of the other boy's expression. "...Hey. Nii-san, what's wrong?"

"I…" Hub was visibly concerned. "...I don't know. I'm still wondering about that other Forte we saw back near the shore."

"Him…?" Netto remembered the Navi that would resemble the Black Shadow completely if not for the slight discolourations between the two. That, and the other Forte even made it clear that he wasn't the Black Shadow; In fact, he'd even gone as far as to claim he wasn't a NetNavi altogether, but a… a…

"It's 'Dark Soul', Netto-kun. Not 'dark snow."

"I- I know that!" The younger boy blushed.

"Speaking of that… What's a Dark Soul, anyways?" Zero spoke up from his PET. The Navi appeared just as lost as the twins were. Though the other Forte had claimed to be an embodiment of anger and hatred, none of them knew exactly what it meant. "If he's something that's made out of purely negative emotions… How does he even have a solid form?"

"And why did he take Forte's appearance, specifically?" X decided to pile in his own questions into the mix. Was it just coincidence that the Dark Soul happened to borrow the Black Shadow's image, or was there some reason that they didn't know of? "...And where did he take Mega…?"

A quiet hush fell upon the group. "...I don't know. But didn't he say something about needing the Blue Myth to usher in an era of darkness?" Hub said after a prolonged pause.

"I remember that… But what does that even mean?" X shook his head. "I don't understand what he wants with Mega, and now that he's taken her…"

"Hey, X. Calm down." Sensing his panic, Zero attempted to calm the other Navi down. "It's been less than a day since that happened. I'm sure whatever…  _that_  Forte wants with Mega, he probably hasn't had the chance to do so just yet." Then, with a shrug, he added. "Who knows? Maybe she doesn't need any help. Maybe she's doing just fine."

"I hope you're right…" X wasn't too convinced- The blue Navi remembered Mega being badly hurt when that particular travesty had occurred. "I just… I would feel terrible, if anything happened to her, especially after how much she helped us…"

"Oh hey- So  _this_  is what the inside of SciLabs looks like! Awesome!" There conversation was interrupted by an overtly cheery sound. Turning to the new voice, the two twins noticed a figure approaching them further down the hallway. Netto and Hub had been waiting for an opportunity to ask their father concerning the Dark Soul, though as the two turned their attention towards the newcomer, both boys gasped.

"It's him!"

"...Huh? What're you two- Hey! Let go of me-  _Ouch!_ "

"What's this noise all about?" Hearing the commotion, Yuichiro Hikari approached the sound only to see that his younger son had pushed another boy onto the ground. "Netto! What're you doing?"

"Dad!" Netto looked at his father, but he still wasn't letting the smaller boy go. "It's him! He's with Gospel!"

"No I'm- Ow! I'm not!

"Liar! We saw you on the cruise ship!"

"Netto! Calm down!" Going over, doctor Hikari attempted to pry his younger son off the other boy.

"But Dad!"

"That's enough, Netto. There's an explanation to this, but you have to listen. Okay?"

Netto pouted, but still reluctantly let the smaller boy go. Once he was freed, the boy jumped to his feet, rubbing his arm where it was hurt when he was pushed to the ground. "Sheesh…"

"Dad… What's this all about?" Hub was uncomfortable with the smaller boy's appearance, but a lot less hot-headed than his younger sibling. "Why is Gospel's leader… Sean here?"

"The real question is; Why  _can't_  I be here?" Without giving anyone else an opportunity to speak, Sean huffed. "Seriously! Can't someone just mind their own business and  _not_  get randomly assaulted?"

"What if you're just snooping around for an opportunity to sabotage SciLabs' computers?" Netto accused him.

"Do you think I'm incompetent?" Sean blushed in a combination of anger and embarrassment. "I'll have you know that if I  _wanted_  to sabotage SciLabs, I would've done so in my pajamas, on my laptop, in the comfort of my own bed! You wouldn't even have an opportunity to push me like you did"

"..."

"Sean… After the Gospel incident, he fell into a deep coma. In fact, he's only woken up from his coma just several days ago." Doctor Hikari explained.

Hub glanced at Sean, still uncertain. "But why is he here at SciLabs?"

"Well… He's actually out on parole right now…"

"That's right!" Sean nodded, crossing his arms. "Not long after I woke up, the Net Police actually offered me a deal- Since the most recent muck-up with Alpha basically trashed half of the internet and crippled the remaining half, the Net Police thought it would be in everyone's best interest to bring in some young talent to help the restoration process of the cyberworld… That young talent being me!" Sean beamed, giving the two twins a thumbs-up. "In exchange, they'll consider shortening my sentence… So, if you got any questions, just feel free to ask me, and I'll do my best to explain it in a way that you lot will understand, okay?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sean is basically edgey Tails and you can't convince me otherwise.


	221. Chapter 182 (Sean)

"Phew! That Alpha sure did a number on Den City's cyberworld, didn't it?"

"Hey- Are you even listening?" For once, Netto actually felt the urge to slap someone over the head.

Sean stopped spinning on one of the office chairs for a moment to wave his hand at the other boy. "Yeah, yeah- I'll get to you eventually. Just give me a few minutes to finish this up."

After Netto and Hub's encounter with Sean, doctor Hikari had brought the three boys into one of his offices while he left to oversee the current recovery process of the internet.

"I thought you said you were helping with the recovery process!"

Sean stopped typing on his laptop just to look at the younger Hikari boy with an overtly annoyed expression. "And who do you think wrote the algorithm they're using to scuff out bugs and glitches that're now scattered throughout the net?" At this, the boy sighed dramatically, rolling his eyes. "Just because you don't understand what I'm doing doesn't mean I'm not doing my part… dolt."

"Why you-"

"Netto-kun! Calm down!" Hub grabbed his younger sibling by his wrist when it looked like Netto was about to rush forward and hit Sean in the face. "And you-" Hub turned to Sean as the boy stuck his tongue out and glared at him- "You better stop playing around and start giving us straight answers."

"Ooh. Scary." Sean narrowed his eyes. "Fine, fine- You wanna know about the Dark Soul, is that it?"

"Can you tell us what exactly is a Dark Soul, first?"

"Okie dokie then." Rubbing his hands together, Sean began explaining. "It's not unlike what you already know about it already; If you know that NetNavies can feel emotions, you know that sometimes, they tend to have really bad ones- Dark Souls are merely that, amplified by a bajillion. If it helps, you can think of it as a program that's basically made out of clusters of negative emotions. Y'know. Like envy. Or hate. Or anger."

"So Dark Souls are programs that simulate negative emotions in NetNavies?" Hub asked for clarification.

"Bingo~!"

"Alright. But why did it have Forte's appearance?" Netto asked.

"I was getting to that." Sean pursed his lips briefly. "Dark Souls on their own won't be that much of a big deal if the only thing they can do is collect and replicate negative emotions within NetNavies, However…."

Hub raised an eyebrow. "However…?"

"Dark Souls are able to convert these negative emotions into energy." At this, Sean paused, tapping on of his fingers in thought. "There's a name for this energy… It's called "dark power", I believe…?"

Netto and Hub gave each other a quick glance. Neither of the two twins have even heard of such a concept as converting negative emotions in NetNavies into power before. But if that's the case-

"Anyways- As for why the Dark Soul decided to take on the Black Shadow's image… Well, you have Alpha to thank for that!"

"What?" Netto frowned, confused. "What does Alpha have to do with the Dark Soul?"

"What, you think Dark Souls are like viruses that can randomly pop up out of nowhere?" Sean raised an eyebrow at him. "Of course not. You don't normally find Dark Souls anywhere other than within the Dark Web, and the Dark Web is built specifically in a way that Dark Souls wouldn't be able to escape, ever."

"When Alpha reawakened, however… That whole thing got messed up." Sean Shrugged. "You see, the Dark Web was supposed to act as a barrier between the common net, and whatever else lies underneath the Dark Web. When Alpha awoke however, it attached itself to the internet in order to absorb data for itself. But by doing so, it unknowingly acted as a gateway that Dark Souls could take advantage of to bypass the Dark Web… Which one of them obviously did."

"Right, so that's where the Dark Soul came from." Netto was getting impatient. "But can you just get to the point already? Why did it look like Forte?"

"...I'm setting the foundation, laying the groundwork for you so that  _you_  don't get lost when I explain to you how and why Dark Souls take on the images of specific NetNavies.  _You're welcome._ " Sean huffed, rubbing the side of his head. "Alright. Remember how I talked about Dark Souls being able to convert negative emotions into dark power?"

"Go on." Hub sighed before his younger sibling could begin arguing with the ex-Gospel leader. That would end up getting them nowhere.

"Well, there's a catch." Sean grinned mysteriously, as if he was waiting for some sort of grand reveal. "Dark Souls can't actually convert negative emotions into dark power… Unless they take on the form of a NetNavi. And even then, they can only feed off the negative emotions of the Navi who they've taken the image of!" Then, the boy tapped his chin in thought. "It's a good thing they have this handy restriction as well- Can you imagine if they were able to harness all of the negative emotions of all of the world's NetNavies?" The boy shivered. "Yikes."

...Huh.

At least now the twins knew how Dark Souls functioned, and why the one they saw had taken on the Black Shadow's image. But there was still one question…

"You say they can take on the form of any Navi they so choose." Hub said, attempting to formulate his question. "...But why Forte specifically? Could there be a reason for it?"

"Glad you asked!" Sean beamed. "You asking simple questions like these helps make me feel smart."

"..."

"...What? Don't give me that look!" Sean pouted. "It's surprisingly easy when you actually think about it- Just tell me, off the top of your head, what's the Black Shadow most famous for?"

"Being the strongest NetNavi in the Undernet?" Netto asked.

"Deleting millions of innocent NetNavies." Hub said.

"...I was hoping for something along the lines of being a hate-filled, angry being hellbent on revenge." Sean snorted, rubbing his nose. "But, close enough. I suppose."

"...!" The elder Hikari appeared to have made the connection. "So what you're saying is… The Dark Soul chose to appear as Forte, because it knew Forte had negative emotions that it could feed off of?"

"Winner, winner, chicken dinner!" Sean clapped his hands together. "After escaping the Dark Web through Alpha and stumbling upon the Black Shadow was probably like a starving man stumbling upon a buffet for our Dark Soul! Free, unadulterated hatred and vengeance from one of the most powerful NetNavies in the Undernet- Who could say no?"

"Nii-san…" Netto was visibly concerned, and Hub couldn't blame him. The both saw the destructive power of the Dark Soul from their brief encounter with it, and now that it was released into the common web… "How can we stop it?" Hub asked.

"Eh." Sean crossed his arms behind his head. "Who knows?"

"..."

"H-hey!" Netto was fuming. He'd had enough of the other boy's demeanor. "What do you mean 'who knows'? Don't  _you_  know?"

"Nope." Sean shook his head in mock regret. "Sadly, there are things that even I don't know of, but luckily for you, I  _am_  interested in figuring out more about the Dark Soul, and the dark power it creates."

"Right…" Despite the other boy's brilliance, it was difficult for Hub to picture Sean coming to a meaningful conclusion with his nonchalant attitude. "And how would you go about doing that?"

"That's where you two come in!" Netto couldn't quite suppress a shiver when Sean looked at them with almost gleaming eyes. "Hey! If you happen to come across any weirdly-coloured Battle Chips, will you bring them back here to me?" The boy clasped his hands together. "Come on! I'll even say please~"

"W… How can we tell them apart from normal Battle Chips?" Hub was a bit uncomfortable with Sean's sudden change in behavior. "And what do you need them for?"

"You'll know it when you see it! You Navi will even act all weird and wonky around it!" Sean insisted. "As for what it's for… Well! You're just have to find out for yourselves when I'm done with it!"

"...Right…"

"Good! So what're you still standing around here for?" Sean waved his hands at the two twins in a shooing motion. "Get going! I've still got plenty to do, and work isn't going to do itself, you know!"


	222. Chapter 183

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm actually going into the Darkloid arc a bit lost, as I'm unsure whether to cover the anime or not, though after some internal debate, the Darkloid arc will probably be based more on the manga and games for the moment. I'm sure we'll get to see more elements from the anime as we move on with the story. Also, for those of you following my art blog, you must have seen some of my drawings for another LGOTN spinoff called "AUWEITSBR3". Since the Alpha arc is basically concluded for the most part, if things all go well, then expect to see this new spinoff in the coming few days. Cheers.

" _Kreee!_ "

"...Stop that."

" _KREEEEE!_ "

Forte frowned at the virus. His mate's Dream Virus pet was laying on its side and making noises somewhat akin to sad howling, and it showed no signs of stopping soon.

"...You little shit." Forte muttered underneath his breath. Screaming wasn't going to help it whatsoever… Even though the dark Navi somewhat understood why it was doing so. It had been three days since Mega had been taken by the Dark Soul, and despite him scouring through the Undernet during this period non-stop, he had yet to locate where the other NetNavi was.

It didn't help Forte's conscience whatsoever, knowing that he was at least in some part to blame for his mate's disappearance, but now was not the time to feel sorry for himself. Mega could very well be in danger right now. He had to find some more efficient way to locate the Navi than just combing through the vast emptiness of the Undernet.

"Hm?" The Navi turned when he felt someone approaching him. It was his mate's first subservient, Shadowman. It took Forte a few moments to recall who the other Navi hiding behind the shadow Navi was, however.

"There he is, Shadowman!" Swallowman whispered, somehow just loud enough for Forte to hear. "What're you doing? Didn't you say you were going to beat him up?"

"..." Shadowman remained quiet, though Forte didn't miss the other Navi's fist clenching. In his mind, Forte knew the only thing stopping the other Navi from actually swinging his fist at him was the fact that he was much more powerful.

"My Mistress' disappearance is of your fault." When Shadowman finally spoke, it was to accuse him. "All because you refused to let go of your persistence for revenge."

"Is that all you have to say?" Forte was more interested in finding a way to locate Mega- The dark Navi realized that the blame would come, sooner or later, but he much prefer it to be after he secured his mate's safety.

"While you selfishly indulge in your own desires, my Mistress had been worried sick for you. And now, my Mistress suffers once more because of your balant refusal to acknowledge his concern." Shadowman narrowed his eyes. "...You don't deserve my Mistress as a mate."

"..." Hearing that actually hurted him physically.

"The Dark Soul that took my Mistress feeds off of you for its power." Shadowman continued- The Navi wasn't pulling any verbal punches at this point. "You will only serve to make it stronger and get in the way. I will locate my Mistress on my own."

"What did you just say?" Forte scowled, taking a step forward. Shadowman maintained his composure, and Swallowman just made a small noise before ducking behind the shadow Navi. "Who told you that?"

Shadowman just snorted. "Where do you think?"

It took Forte a second to remember that Mega had his subservient bug SciLabs from quite a while ago, meaning that the shadow Navi's information very likely came from there.

"How dare you." Forte hissed. Guilt and anger had melded into something unintelligible. "Mega is  _my_  mate. You can't stop me from looking for him."

"And how do you plan on doing so?" Shadowman pressed, almost as if he was taunting him. "By yourself?"

"..."

Damn it. He saw what Shadowman was attempting now. Despite his power, he had no clue, no information to work on that could possible help lead him to where this Dark Soul was keeping his mate. Try as he might, this was a task he is unable to do himself… And Shadowman must have known this, too, if the shadow Navi went through the effort to find and berate him for his mistakes.

"...It would appear that I require your assistance." Forte ground out, eventually. "...Will you help me?"

"You are not my master." Shadowman stated. "But I shall begrudgingly lend you my aid, as that is what my Mistress would have wanted."

Somehow, Forte could already tell that he wasn't going to enjoy the following days to come.

* * *

Large runes and spiked vines were clawing over some obscure part of the Undernet. A NetNavi was approaching the figure crouched in the center of the runes. "Master-"

"Shh!" The silver-finned version of Forte raised a hand, silencing the Navi instantly. "Be quiet!"

"..." Wordlessly, the Navi watched the Dark Soul as it carefully observed the blue Navi that was laid down on the stone tablet in front of them.

"... I must admit. When I first heard the rumours of the Blue Myth being grace and power manifested, I was quite skeptical of the idea myself." The Dark Soul mused, taking the unconscious Navi's chin to inspect him closer. "Though I have to say, now that I've had the pleasure of seeing him up close for myself… He  _is_  quite pretty, isn't he?"

Sliding a hand along the sleeping Navi's cheek, the Dark Soul continued, almost to himself. "In fact, it was quite the split-second decision that I hadn't taken his form- His hurt and desperation was alluring, for sure, but…" At this, the Dark Soul grinned. "Well, it was much too tame when compared to the pure, unadulterated rage of the Black Shadow."

"Master." The NetNavi finally spoke once more. "Now that you've bypassed the Dark Web, you can finally open the sealed gate that prevents the other Dark Souls from entering the common net." The Navi urged. "You alone have the power to usher in the era of darkness for the cyberworld!"

"Yes, yes. Of course I'll let the others in eventually." In contrast, the Dark Soul didn't seem too concerned. "But they'll ruin the fun for me once they're here- Why not take the time to terrorize the net for myself before letting the others ruin it for me?"

"Master-"

"Hm?" Standing to its full height, the Dark Soul's amethyst eyes gleamed dangerously. "Is there something you'd like to  _say_?"

"N-no… Of course not."

"That's what I thought." Humming to itself, the Dark Soul appeared to consider something. "Well. I suppose there's no other way to start than to let the entire cyberworld have a taste of what's to come, is there…?" Then, it turned its attention towards the other Navi. "Shademan!"

"Y-yes…?"

The Dark Soul's eyes were glowing once more. "You know what to do, don't you?"

"Of course, my Master…" The Navi, Shademan, bowed. "I shall do as you say…"


	223. Chapter 184

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey, sorry about the two day break. Something important came up so I have to take care of it. Also, my artist alley event is tomorrow, so I'm unsure if I'll be able to update tomorrow. I'll try to, though! Anyways, on with the story!

"And so… That's basically what happened."

A week had passed since Alpha had been defeated, and neither Hikari twins nor their NetNavies were any closer to figuring out what happened to the Blue Myth and where the Dark Soul had taken her. They didn't have any luck finding any "weirdly coloured Battle Chips" that Sean had mentioned, either. They had no choice but to wait for something to happen to even begin their search. For the moment, Netto and Hub had X and Zero plugged into the Internet City, where the two Navies were going over the events that had occured with their group of friends.

"Mega was kidnapped?" Having been the only other Navi among their group to have met the Blue Myth, Roll appeared unusually concerned. "That's worrying… I hope she's alright…"

"What about the "era of darkness" the Dark Soul spoke about?" Iceman asked, cupping the side of his face. "What do you suppose it means?"

"I have a theory about that." Glide spoke out after a moment of contemplation. "Though, I am not quite sure of the accuracy of what I believe…"

"Well, something is better than nothing." Zero was interested in hearing what the other Navi had to say- Whatever it was, it had to be much better than them being completely clueless.

"This is all just a big guess, but you mentioned something about Dark Souls feeding off and being manifestations of NetNavies negative emotions, correct?" Glide tapped his chin as he pondered. "...What if the era of darkness he mentioned was just that? Making NetNavies from all over the cyberworld consumed in negativity so the Dark Soul can thrive off of this negative energy?"

"That makes sense, but I'm not too sure..." X frowned slightly. "Sean did say that the Dark Soul was only limited to one Navi that it could feed off of, so I don't see how it could benefit from making all NetNavies miserable… Maybe if there were  _more_  Dark Souls, but…"

"Let's not think about that for the moment." Zero seemed suddenly unnerved. The red Navi had seen first hand just how powerful a single Dark Soul was in its power. The possibility that there might be more than the one Dark Soul they knew of just lying in the wait was… terrifying. To say the least…

"I don't care if it's just one or a dozen! Guts!" Gutsman pounded his chest once. "I'll still punch them in the face! Guts!"

Gutsman's brave comment lightened the mood slightly, but Roll could still tell that X seemed worried about something. "X… Is something the matter?"

"I… I don't know." The blue Navi turned to his friend. "I might be over-thinking this… But I can't help but feel that there might be more to Mega and the Black Shadow's relationship than just that of enemies…"

Seeing Mega's interaction with the other Undrenet Navi had left a profound impression on X; Even if he were to put Mega's conversation with Forte about helping the dark Navi with his past wose aside, there was still so much to unpack from how the two Navies acted around the other. Mega's first instinct when met with danger wasn't to hide or flee, but to push the Black Shadow aside so he was safe from harm!

And even if he were to chalk that up to Mega's kindness… There was also Forte's reaction to Mega getting kidnapped…

Just remembering the Black Shadow's scream of rage was enough to send a shiver down X's spine. The blue Navi didn't think he'd ever heard something like it before. The Black Shadow sounded even more rage-filled than when he was when he had confronted his creator, and X wasn't sure he knew the reason why; Had it been anger that the Dark Soul had interrupted them like it had? Or… Maybe it was something else entirely…?

Either way… Forte's scream of rage was just something X found unfathomable and confusing. He didn't quite understand what the Black Shadow was screaming about… But one simply didn't react to their enemy- or even rival- getting hurt in such a way. And especially not the Black Shadow, the most ruthless NetNavi in the Undernet!

"What do you mean?" Roll tilted her head, confused. "You think they might secretly be friends? Or…"

"I don't know." X shook his head. "I just can't help but feel that there's something I'm just not seeing. Mega and Forte may be enemies still, but… I can't help but think it's not as simple as just that." From their interaction… It's almost as if the two Navies had a history with each other.

"Hmm…" Iceman pouted slightly. "That sounds almost like the plot of a famous love story I've read."

"Wh-what?" X was taken aback- How was that even related to what they were talking about? "What do you mean?"

"There's a story I've read about these two people from different families. To keep up appearances, they have to pretend to be enemies. But in private, they were actually secret lovers!" Iceman smiled, a soft blush forming on his face. "I wonder if this is the case for the Blue Myth and the Black Shadow!"

"I- I don't know about that!" X stammered. The Navi was blushing as well. Just thinking about someone as gentle as Mega being with someone as brutal as the Black Shadow was enough to make him rather uneasy.

"Oh! I wasn't aware that you liked reading romance novels, Iceman!" Glide was surprised. He looked at the smaller Navi.

"I-! I mean, uh…!" Realizing he'd been caught, Iceman covered his face with both palms. "D-don't make fun of meeee!"

His reaction brought a round of laughter among the group. Then, before the group could move onto another topic however, they heard a distance scream coming from behind them.

"!" Alarmed, Zero turned to where he heard the sound come from instantly. "What was that?"

"Help! Somebody help!"

"Wh-what's going on?" X went over to the Navi that was running up to them. "Are you alright?"

"It's horrible!" The Navi gasped after regaining his breath. He appeared distressed. "S-someone's released viruses across the Internet City… They're attacking everyone in sight!"

"A virus attack?" Damn it- With the city's normal security systems, ordinary viruses shouldn't be able to attack at a large scale. Someone had to be actively sabotaging the Internet City- But who? "Zero, let's go! We gotta stop whoever's releasing the viruses!"

"Right!" Zero agreed.

"W-wait, you're just going to run over to where the viruses are?" The NetNavi looked at the two of them as if they've gone insane. "You can't do that! You'll be deleted!"

"Don't worry! We've dealt with our fair share of virus attacks before!" X told the Navi.

"You don't understand! The viruses attacking the Internet City don't seem to be ordinary viruses!" The Navi was shaking as he said this. "They're much larger, much more fierce and more powerful than any virus I've ever seen before… They crushed all the other NetNavies like they were nothing!"

"E-even if that's the case…" X couldn't say he wasn't worried upon hearing what the other Navi had told him, but… "We have to help somehow, otherwise they'll just destroy the entire city!"

"You two go on ahead!" Sensing the direness of the situation, Roll looked at X and Zero. "We'll try to find any NetNavi who got hurt and help them, so don't worry about us!"

X smiled at the pink Navi. "Thank you… Don't worry! Zero and i will stop this virus attack soon enough!"


	224. Chapter 185 (Trumpies & Melodies)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm back from my artist alley event. I was kind of surprised that some people were actually interested in the Bad Omens stuff, considering Rockman isn't really popular here I live. Maybe it's because it's a crossover with pokemon. Anyways, my next event is in February. The Bad Omens doujinshi should be out before then.

"You mean there's a virus attack on the Internet City?"

"Correct." Zero nodded. As the two Navies began making their way towards the source of the attack, they had alerted their operators immediately.

"Again?" Netto seemed somewhat annoyed. "Man, isn't something so important in the cyberworld supposed to have great security? How is it being attacked again?"

"This is different." X shook his head, explaining. "From what we've heard, it seems that the viruses attacking this time aren't ordinary viruses."

His operator raised an eyebrow. "Not ordinary? Are they Undernet viruses?"

"I don't know." X frowned. "All we've managed to gather is that they appear to be much stronger than regular viruses… Huh?"

As X and Zero sped down the main pathway, the two Navies noticed a barricade of viruses drawing closer, quickly blocking their way onwards- It was a herd of Melody viruses, backed up a several Trumpy viruses, but something wasn't quite right about this group. True to what the normal Navi had told X earlier, these viruses were much bigger than any X had ever seen before, that was taking even Undernet viruses into account. The second peculiar thing about them was that both Melody and Trumpy viruses were all horribly discoloured, taking on deep shades of dark and purple. One of the Trumpy viruses tooted as X and Zero got near.

"These must be the viruses he was talking about!" X summoned his buster and prepared to engage the viruses. The moment he did, however, the Tumpy viruses in the back row all began to honk and toot in horrendus chorus.

"Shit!" Zero covered his ears from the disorienting sound. Just hearing it alone was enough to give him a splitting headache. "What's with this noise? They can't do that, can they?!" From his own knowledge from fighting viruses, Zero knew that Trumpies were defenseless. They can only act as support units, backing their teammates from the back row with tunes to make their attacks more powerful. Thus, he had been caught completely unprepared when he found himself being affected by the Trumpy viruses' tune.

"I don't know!" X yelled back. He was just as affected by the disorientating melody as Zero was. "But this must be what that normal Navi was telling us about!" The viruses weren't just larger or discoloured… They were more deadly as well!

"Hold on, you two! I got you!" Searching through his chip folder, Netto quickly slotted in a Battle Chip. "Here! Battle Chip; Barrier! Slot in!"

In a flash, a soft dome manifested itself over X and Zero's head, dampening the noises coming from the viruses outside. The two Navies breathed a sigh of relief and took the opportunity to regroup.

"We have to get give of the Trumpies first." Zero said. There was no object from X's part. Both Navies knew that it would be difficult to concentrate, much less fight if they allowed the trumpet-like viruses to continue their horrendous song.

"Maybe there's some way to catch them by surprise from behind?" X suggested. He didn't know what the Melody viruses were capable of just yet, but if the Trumpy viruses were of anything to go by, X didn't think they would have an easy time forcing their way past the front line to get to them.

_Bang!_

The two Navies nearly toppled over as the floor beneath them jolted. The sound had come from above them, and looking up, X's eyes widened when he saw one of the large Melody viruses now perches on top of the barrier- It must have pounced onto the dome in an attempt to crush them.

Zero frowned, eyeing the virus nervously. "...What is it trying to do?"

Then, the Melody virus hopped again, this time jumping up and forcing its entire body onto the dome underneath it, shaking the ground with its weight. The barrier flickered and cracked.

X gasped. "It's trying to break the barrier!"

Zero cursed. "From the looks of it, we don't have a lot of time until it does." the red Navi said as he observed the cracks in the barrier. "We have to think of something, quick."

"What we need is something that does a lot of damage to all of those Trumpies in the back all at once!" Hub quickly decided after assessing the situation. The boy could think of a few chips he could use to accomplish that, but there was a problem…

"None of those are far-ranged attacks!" Netto knew what his elder sibling was referring to, and saw the flaw in his plan as well. "And even if they were, X and Zero will be crushed by those Melody viruses before they can attack."

"I know that!" Hub winced when he heard another crack as the Melody virus leapt once more. The barrier was shaking. It wouldn't last another attack. "Just let me think about this for a moment-"

_CRACK!_

To their horror, the Melody virus had shattered the barrier with a final hop. Then, leaping upwards once more, the virus aimed for the two NetNavies underneath it, before it barreled downwards with incredible speed.

"X! Zero!" Netto grabbed the first Battle Chip he could find to save the two NetNavies. "Area Steal!"

In a deafening  _crash_ , the virus obliterated the floor panels undernet it, the collision tossing dust and debris everywhere. It chirped in annoyance when it gave a small hop backwards after realizing it had failed to crush the two NetNavies.

"Zero! Now's your chance!"

Its vision obstructed by the dust cloud, the virus gave a squeak of alarm as it felt something shoot rapidly past it. Turning around with a jump, the Melody virus saw a black hockey puck speeding down through the gap it had left in the formation, allowing it to slip through the front line and strike one of the Trumpy viruses in the back.

The Trumpy honked as it was hit, but was otherwise unharmed. It appeared more annoyed than anything. That was, until it noticed the thing that was on top of the puck this entire time.

_Beep…_

" _Honk!"_  Alarmed, the virus tooted to warn its companions immediately, but by then, it was too late. The timer on the Time Bomb had clicked to zero, and the Melody viruses watched in shock as the supporting Trumpy viruses were all obliterated in one huge explosion.

" _Chirp?!"_

"Alright!" Emerging from the smoke, X prepared for another attack. Now that the Trump's head-splitting music was no longer playing, the blue Navi was able to quickly take aim at the remaining Melody viruses.

"Program Advance!" His canon whirred with suppressed energy. "Zeta Canon!"

In a beam of light, the energy contained within the Navi's arm cannon was unleashed all at once, tearing the majority of the Melody viruses apart and deleting them instantly. The few of those which remained realized the battle to be lost, and fled as they scrambled for different directions.

"We… We did it!" Netto beamed once the imminent danger had passed. "We defeated those viruses!"

"That was a bit too close…" X, while relieve, shared less of his operators enthusiasm. It had been a long time since any viruses had given him and Zero much trouble. The fact that they could have nearly been deleted by those viruses made the blue Navi quite uneasy.

The power difference between the viruses they were used to and the ones just now were staggering… Just where had these viruses come from?

"You're right…" sighing, Zero turned to his operator. "It was good that you came up with the idea to transport the Time Bomb with an Air Hockey chip, Hub-san. Otherwise, we would have been in serious trouble."

"I'm just glad the both of you are alright." Hub was actually swiping the sweat from his forehead as he said this. "...I don't think things are going to get any easier when we find the source of this virus attack…"

"Like over there?" Netto appeared to have noticed something from the screen of his PET. Both Navies turned to where the boy was pointing at.

"What in the world…" X could only stare at the scene before him. In the near distance, dark clouds were gathering around one of the taller buildings in sight, swirling and rumbling ominously, as if some sort of dubious power was summoning them all here at once.

"That seems to be where we're heading next." Zero narrowed his eyes. The Navi didn't like what he was seeing, either, but that wasn't going to stop the two of them from investigating.

"Okay, but be careful!" Hub was already preparing himself mentally for what was to come. "I don't know what's up there, so we can't afford to let our guard down!"


	225. Chapter 186 (Shademan)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Apparently my time management is shit. Anyways, the third spinoff for LGOTN is taking me some time to get to. I'm sorry about that, but I feel the need to complete the pokemon spinoff doujinshi first before working on a new spinoff entirely. Like I said, this shouldn't take too long. All that's left is the final extra chapter, and another extra that I might write if time allows. I want to get it out mid-January next year. Thanks for everyone for sticking with LGOTN once more.

Zero was somewhat irritated. "If they had the technology to program an entire city within the cyberworld, why didn't anyone think to program elevators inside this building?"

"Maybe it's for aesthetics?" X yelled back as the two NetNavies were running up the circling stairs. From the outside, the building appeared no different that the ones surrounding it, but once they entered, the two Navies were greeted with a dark, strangely victorian vibe with its interior.

Even though Zero appeared to accept this explanation, the red Navi didn't hesitate to make his annoyance known. "Out of all the buildings, it just had to be this one." He grumbled.

X narrowed his eyes in concentration. "Come on, we're near the top."

As they reached the end of the stairs, the two were greeted with a large double door at the end of the hallway. Zero rushed forward with his sword without hesitation.

"Ha!" Zero swung his sword, and in two quick slashed, the door broken open, the planks making up the frame tumbling over before dissipating into broken data. X raised his buster as he catched up with his companion.

The doorway lead to a vast ballroom-like area, with broken lights hanging above head, flickering occasionally, but otherwise leaving the room unsettlingly dim. For a moment, the room remained quiet, before a low chuckling began echoing through the silent space.

"Whe-hee-hee!"

X snapped his buster to the direction of the sound. "Who's there? Show yourself!"

Then, out of the corner of their eyes, the shadows cast of the walls appeared to twist and move all at once. They appeared to swirl and quiver, as if they were liquids, before sinking down onto the floor and gathering towards a centralized point before X and Zero. As the shadows compiled and grew into each other, a dark form gradually began to take shape, swiftly taking the form of a NetNavi with bat-like features.

"Hmm… What do we have here?" As the bat-like Navi opened his eyes, he stared down upon X and Zero. "Some fools who're about to become my food?"

X tensed, somewhat thrown off by what the Navi had said; Become his food?

Zero took a step forward. "So, you're the one behind the virus attack within the Internet City right now, aren't you?"

The bat Navi's eyes appear to shimmer crimson at the mention of the virus attack. "You've had the pleasure of witnessing the chaos I've wrung across the cyberworld!" The Navi smirked, appearing pleased with himself. "Well? How did you like it? Magnificent, isn't it?"

"Are you kidding me? What you're doing is terrible!" X narrowed his eyes. "Stop it this instant!"

"What do you mean?" Still afloat in the air, the bat Navi spread his arms. With a gust of air, the two limbs took on the shape of bat-like wings. X and Zero took a step back in surprise. "Don't you like it? This is how the cyberworld will be once the era of darkness takes over!"

Hub gasped. "The era of darkness?" This was the second time the boy heard it being mentioned, and he came to a conclusion instantly. "You're with that Dark Soul!"

"Whe-hee-hee! That is correct!" The Navi didn't even bother to hide it. "My master had wanted me to give the citizens of the internet a taste of what's to come! Though I now see that you do not appreciate my efforts."

"Are you crazy? Of course we don't!" Netto yelled. The boy couldn't fathom how one was able to gain enjoyment out of putting others in danger. "Turn the city back to normal right now!"

"Insolent fools!" With a loud screech, the windows along the walls cracked. X and Zero winced slightly at the sound. "If you cannot appreciate greatness, then you do not deserve to live!" With a crooked grin, the Navi continued. "I, Shademan, shall send you down to the pits of hell myself!" Then, with a flick of his wings, Shademan unleashed his attack. "Noise Crush!"

Then, the windows all shattered as a pulse of loud, disruptive sound swept through the entire ballroom, even bounding off and echoing from the walls. Both Navies screamed as they covered their ears.

"Shit!" Zero cursed. How is this noise even  _worse_ than the one they heard from the Trumpies? Then, abruptly. The Navi noticed Shademan charging straight towards his companion. "X! Look out!"

"What?" Distracted by the noise, the blue Navi didn't notice the bat Navi flying directly at him until he was struck and flung across the room. The pulse of sound had diminished slightly, and Zero immediately leapt forward, swinging his sword at Shademan. Raising a hand, the bat Navi caught Zero's weapon easily, grinning at him. "Is that the best you can do?"

Then, Shademan squeezed, and Zero's sword cracked and broke right in front of his eyes. Taking a step backwards, the red Navi was further shocked by how nonchalant and effortlessly the bat Navi had countered his attack. "Wh-"

Before he could finish, the red Navi was grabbed by his neck and hoisted into the air as Shademan flapped his wings.

"Whe-hee-hee! It's useless to fight back!" The bat Navi taunted him as he squeezed the red Navi's neck, choking him. "I have the power of darkness of my side! You are all but insects when faced with the dark power!"

"Hh!" Zero attempted to pry the bat Navi's hand off his throat, but to no avail. He couldn't escape.

"Hey! Let him go this instant!"

In a flash, a beam of light shot out through the darkness and collided against Shademan, freeing Zero as the bat Navi was thrown across the room and into a wall with a loud bang. From among the smoke, X emerged in his Ultimate Style Change. He went over to Zero immediately. "Zero! Are you okay?"

"I'm-" The Navi coughed, rubbing his throat. "I'm fine. Thanks."

"Wheee!"

A blast of strong wind dissipated the smoke instantly, nearly knocking X and Zero in its wake. Shademan emerged once more, slightly damaged, but nowhere near being unable to fight.

"How cute… You've managed to catch me off guard!" Despite what had just happened, the bat Navi didn't appear particularly concerned. In fact, Shademan seemed more intrigued than it than anything. "Whe-hee-hee! How interesting- You'll make fine meals indeed!"

Then, with another flap of his wings, Shademan began his attacks anew.


	226. Chapter 187 (Revival)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey all, it's ya boi, Rubie, recently relieved of the duties of being an executive member of the anime club and passed the evaluation meeting relatively unharmed. I'm back after ghosting y'all for like a month. Let's continue on with this story, shall we?

Zero raised his sword, countering Shademan's attack as the bat Navi swung his wing at him, the two forces colliding with a loud  _clank_.

"Whee hee!" Shademan was cackling, flapping his wings as he flew back, avoiding a slash from Zero's sword. "You might be able to fight against what you can see- But what about this?"

Straightening himself, Shademan let out a loud shriek, unleashing another pulse of noise at X and Zero. The two Navies nearly collapsing from the sharp, disruptive sound.

"He's trying to distract us with this noise so we can't get near him!" X realized as he screamed, trying to raise his voice over the Noise Crush.

"Is that it?" Netto pulled out a Battle Chip as a sudden idea crossed his mind. "What about an automated attack? Attack Battle Chip; Mark Canon! Slot in!"

As X received the chip data, he aimed his buster in the general direction where the Navi believed his current opponent to be. The scanner attached to the chp data beeped as it scanned for possible targets.

"There he is!" Though X's mind was still buzzing from the noise, he was able to pinpoint where Shademan was as the scanner notified him with a ping. "Take this!"

He fired an energy shot, the blast further empowered by his current Style Change. Seconds later, the terrible shirking stopped abruptly as Shademan was knocked back by the blast- The bat Navi hadn't expected either X or Zero to be able to attack through his Noise Crush, and was taken completed by surprise by the counter attack.

"Zero! Now's our chance!" Hub suspected that Shademan's reliance on noise pulses was to prevent them from getting too close and beating him with physically attacks.

"I got it!" Forcing himself to ignore the loud ringing in his head, Zero rushed ahead once more, though as he attempted to strike Shademan with his sword, the bat Navi had recovered, grabbing Zero's forearm as the red Navi hissed.

"You've got a few tricks up your sleeves. I'll give you that." From his tone, it was apparent that Shademan was getting increasingly annoyed with X and Zero's persistence. "But that won't be nearly enough to defeat me!"

Somehow, Zero didn't appear concerned. Instead, the Navi smirked. "Is that so? Then what about this?!"

Shademan's expression twisted. The bat Navi was suspicious of his opponent's reaction, but before he could do anything else, a bright light blinded him, and Shademan screamed as he felt claws tearing through him. Clutching his right arm, Shademan now saw that Zero had shifted forms, the Navi looking much more menacing with two dark wings sprouting from his back.

Grinning, Zero raised both his hands, unsheathing his claws from his fingertips. "Let's even the playing field then, shall we?"

With a yell, the Navi swung wildly at his opponent. He was much faster and stronger while in Absolute Style, so Zero caught up to Shademan with ease as the bat Navi attempted to flee, tearing wounds into the bat Navi's body with his claws. Shademan let out an unsettling screech as the nails tore through his chest, and with a final flick of his wings, Zero grabbed onto Shademan's upper arm, before flinging the bat Navi over his shoulder. The walls cracked as the Navi collided into the hard concrete, the chandelier above their heads swaying and making soft pinging noises.

The smoke from the impact bended around Zero's form as the Navi folded his wings. He narrowed his eyes at the fallen NetNavi. "Had enough yet?"

The sound of coughing was accompanied by the shuffling of debris as the bat Navi attempting to dig himself out from the wall. Unable to get up, Shademan clutched the open wound on his chest with a loud heave as he regarded X and Zero carefully.

"...So, this is the full extent of your power, eh?" Shademan was somehow still grinning as he coughed, his smile crooked

"Enough talk!" X stepped forward from where he had been watching Zero battling it out with the bat Navi. "Return the city to normal right now!"

"Whee-hee-hee…" Shademan stood, the Navi swaying slightly as he did so. "Ah… I hope you didn't actually think I unleashed all of those viruses into the Internet City just for the sake of causing mayhem." The Navi added as he took note of X and Zero's concerned looks.

"What do you mean?" X asked him. All of the previous foes they faced used mass panic to strike fear into the world that they wanted to destroy. What other reason would there be for the virus attack on the city?

"I've been waiting for the Dark Soul to plunge the world into an era of darkness for years…" Shademan spread his wings as he began explaining, as if preparing for a grand revelation of some sort. "Did you honestly think I've been doing nothing in preparation for the Dark Soul's arrival…?"

"Stop fooling around!" Unable to see where the Navi's monologue was heading towards, Zero was getting increasingly unnerved. "Just get to the point already!"

"You see… I've been doing some digging around to pluck out annoying nuisance that might attempt to stop us." As Shademan stood to his full height, swirls of dark energy began to surround him, covering the open wounds where data was dissipating from. "And look who came running at the first sign of trouble!"

"You set up this virus attack just to fight us?" X raised an eyebrow.

"With your track record, I originally thought you two might have posed an actual threat to us…" By now, Shademan's wounds have been completely healed by the strange energy. "But if this is truly the full extent of your powers…Then, it would appear that I have thought wrong."

"What did you just say?!" Zero yelled, reacting half in fear, half in anger. The two of them were in Style Change when they fought the bat Navi! What could it mean for them if the Navi was still insinuating that they were weak?

"It's such a shame- Really!" Shademan ignored Zero's outburst as he continued. "To think that I've even gone through all the effort of inviting some old friend of yours to join in on the fun!"

"That's  _enough!_ " Zero didn't need to listen to the other Navi anymore to know that he didn't like where Shademan was heading towards. "Recall the virus attack right now! Or else-"

" **Sand Tomb!"**

Blocks of stone crumbled down upon them from the ceiling, and X only had a moment to react, raising his canon and shooting one of the cubical blocks before it could crush the two of them. Both Navies coughed from the dust that resulted from the explosion.

"Desertman?!" X noticed the sifting sands around them once the two Navies quickly recovered from the ambush. Desertman was hovering over the both of them, grinning widely as his hollow eyes stared down at them. "B-but you were deleted!"

"Think again, wheeen!"

"X, watch out!" Zero just about managed to yank X sideways as he felt a sudden presence behind them. Crashing through the stone cubes that now surround the area, Drillman barged onto the scene, missing X and Zero by mere inches as he crashed into the wall, sending broken pieces of data and debris from the collision.

"That's Drillman!" X was reeling in shock and bafflement. "But how?!"

"It's because we have some unfinished business with the two of you!"

Both Navies stumbled as the floor beneath them shook and gave way, giant vines emerging from the cracked wooden tiles of the floor and encircling them, trapping the two Navies inside. Plantman emerged from the wreckage not a moment later.

"Thanks to the dark power, we have been revived as darkloids!" Plantman declared with glee, raising both hands as swirls of flower petals circled his arms. "Now it's time to settle the score!"

"Hold it!" Shademan's voice bellowed just as the three NetNavies were about to pounce onto their prey, stopping them dead in their tracks. "That's enough out of the three of you! My master did not revive you for you to dilly-dally about in your own businesses!"

"Wheen?" Drillman appeared particularly startled by the outburst. "But-"

"Quiet! The Dark Soul has granted you new life, and he can just as easily take it back!" Shademan's eyes were glowing a menacing crimson as he spoke. "You lot  _will_  listen to my orders!"

"..." Desertman remained quiet, while both Drillman and Plantman narrowed their eyes, though neither Navies said anything else.

"And as for you two…" Shademan grinned, redirecting his attention towards X and Zero, the two Navies still petrified with shock and horror. "...Don't you fret. I'll be sure to come back for the both of you. And when that happens, I'll be sure to put on a show that the whole world can see!" Ominous energy swirled once more as the bat Navi's form twisted and contorted. "Goodbye… For now! Whee-hee-hee!"

The four Navies faded away, disappearing from the area as the remnants of Shademan's laughter seemed to echo all around X and Zero, leaving the two Navies quite unsettled.

"Wh… What the heck just happened?" Zero was the first to speak. "Desertman, Drillman and Plantman… They're all enemies we've defeated in the past! So why did they appear just now…?"

"I don't know…" X was just as confused about the situation as Zero was. "They said they've been revived by the dark power… Can the Dark Soul really be as powerful as to be able to bring NetNavies back from deletion?" Then, during his musings, X took note of something out of the corner of his eye- It was a slight glow of a reflective surface on the ground. The blue Navi had nearly missed it among all the ruin surrounding them.

"H-hey… what's that?"


	227. Chapter 188 (Dark Chip)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry about no chapter yesterday. Still getting used to writing daily after such a long hiatus.

"What is it?" Netto asked as his NetNavi knelt down, dusting away the small pieces of broken data covering the object of interest. "Did you find anything?"

"I'm not sure…" X mumbled, squinting as he attempted to make sense of the small item underneath the dim light. Carefully, the Navi picked the rectangular object up. "It… It looks familiar, though…"

"It looks like some sort of Battle Chip data to me." Zero said as X held the item up to him after a brief moment of inspection. "...It's not like any other Battle Chip I've ever seen before, though." Zero frowned in thought. "Hub-san. Are you seeing this, too?"

"It looks weird to me, too." Hub spoke as he examined the small piece of data through the screen of his PET. "This Battle Chip's tainted purple… I wonder who would want to do something like that…"

"Ah!"

"X!" Netto yelled as he saw his Navi suddenly recoiling, clutching his wrist in shock, the piece of data falling onto the floor with a soft  _clink_. "X! What happened? Are you alright?"

"I- I'm fine!" X was still shaking the surprise from his systems as he rubbed his hand. "I just- I don't know what came over me, but I felt this sudden force of dread when I was looking at that Battle Chip, and I guess I got startled." Shaking his head, X knelt over and picked the Battle Chip data up once more. "I'm sorry for scaring you like that."

"It's okay…" Netto sighed. "I'm just glad nothing's happened-"

"Ah!"

"What?" Netto turned to Hub. It was his elder sibling that had yelled out this time. "What is it?"

"Netto-kun!" Hub appeared to have recalled something. "I know what this strange thing is!"

"You do?" Netto raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"I… W-well… I don't know  _exactly_  what it is…" Hub stammered for a bit, blushing. "But I know this was what Sean wanted us to look for!"

"Huh?" Netto frowned. All he could remember was how annoyed and angry he had been by Sean's demeanor. Had Sean asked them to look for something in the first place?

"He told us to look for a weirdly coloured Battle Chip, remember?" Hub sounded exasperated as he saw the clueless expression on his younger sibling's face. "He said that it might help us learn more about the Dark Soul and it's powers if he can analyze this chip!"

"What? No way!" Netto's eyes widened. Up till this point in time, the two had more questions than answers about what the Dark Soul was planning, and how to defeat it. Information was just what they needed! "Then there's no time to lose! We gotta head over to SciLabs right now!"

* * *

"Shut up!" Sean screamed, covering his ears as a loud banging noise was heard from the door. "Go away! I'm busy!"

"Sean!" Hub yelled through the door. "It's us!"

"I know that!" Sean yelled back. "Go bother someone else!"

"We found what you wanted!"

There was a brief pause. "What?"

"We found one of those weirdly coloured Battle Chips you were looking for! X found it on the floor after-"

The door slid open, and Sean grabbed the two twins by their sleeves. "Get in!" He yanked the both of them through the doorway.

"Hey! Watch it!" Netto stumbled for a bit, nearly losing his balance. The boy then rubbed his arm. "Sheesh! If you wanted us inside you could've just said so!"

Sean ignored his annoyance. "Where is it?" The younger boy asked him, holding out his palm towards the brunette.

"The Battle Chip data's in my PET." Netto sighed, taking out his PET. "X's holding it at the moment-"

"Give me that!"

"Hey!" Netto yelled as the smaller boy snatched the device from his hand. "What's your problem? And you better be careful with that!"

"I should be asking you that question!" Flinging one of the desk cabinets open, Sean was fumbling around inside, looking for something. "Are you stupid? How can you let your NetNavi hold something as dangerous as a Dark Chip?"

"Dark Chip?" Netto gave his elder sibling a look. When Hub appeared just as clueless as he was, the younger turned back towards Sean. "What's that?"

"Quiet!" Sean managed to untangle some sort of weird device from the mess of wires at last. Reaching for the PET charger that was set down on his desk, Sean attached the device to it, before placing Netto's PET onto the charger. Reaching into his pocket, the boy pulled out several cables, plugging one side of it to his laptop and the other into the device. Sean almost slammed his laptop onto the desk next to the PET as he began typing something into his laptop. "I have to extract the data from your PET before the Dark Chip corrupts it completely!"

"C-corrupt?" Netto panicked instantly- He hadn't known that the data was so dangerous! "What do you mean?"

"What I had asked you to look for was a Dark Chip. On the surface, they appear to be the same as another other Battle Chip, but tainted purple. However, their differences between them are much more than aesthetics." Sean pressed a few more keys on his laptop, and Netot's PET beeped twice, indicating the successful transfer of data. Sean plugged the PET out from the device instantly. "Phew- Crisis averted!"

"You mean to tell me that chip doesn't hold Battle Chip data?" Netto snatched his PET back.

"Well… That's not entirely true." Now that the data was safely stored within his laptop, Sean took his time putting away the wires he used to transfer the data in the first place. "If you want, you can probably use this Battle Chip, and it'll give your NetNavi Battle Chip data just as any ordinary Battle Chip would. It's just that that's not the only thing that chip would give your NetNavi."

"Less dancing around the subject, please, and just get to the point." Hub was getting both impatient and concerned at the same time.

"Very well then!" the smaller boy spun around once in his chair, before turning to face them. "In case you haven't already gathered from its name, this chip contains a highly condensed and concentrated amount of dark power in it- Probably came directly from the Dark Soul itself, too."

"Wh-what?!" Netto blanched. After witnessing the dark power bring back the NetNavies they've defeated in the past, it made the boy panic knowing that his Navi had come into such close contact with this power.

"Oh, so  _now_  you're scared." Sean rolled his eyes dramatically. "Would have been nice if you've considered that before allowing your Navi to hold onto this Dark Chip, huh?"

"You didn't tell us that it was  _that_  dangerous!" Netto yelled at him, his face red with anger. "You didn't even tell us what we were supposed to look for!"

Sean raised an eyebrow. "I hadn't?"

" _No!_ "

"...Oh." The boy scratched the back of his head. "...Whoops?"

"Netto, don't!" Hub had to step in between the two other boys when it appeared that his younger sibling was about to hit Sean over the head. "Calm down!"

"Calm down? How can  _you_  be calm?" Netto scowled. "Everytime I talk to this guy he makes me so angry! Ugh!"

"I agree with you. He's insufferable." Hub offered. "But fighting isn't what we need right now. What we need is more information on that chip we found." At this, the elder twin gave Sean a stern look. "Tell us what you know about this Dark Chip. And get to the point quickly. We don't have much time for banter."

"Fiiiine. If that's what you want." Sean gave a dramatic sigh. "Like its name suggests, it's a chip with dark power inside of it. You can use it like a Battle Chip, but aside from the chip data, your Navi will also end up getting a dose of how much dark power is held inside of it- Nasty stuff."

"So it could have actually hurt X?" Netto asked.

"Oh, no, not at all!" Sean seemed surprised by Netto's reaction. "In fact, it'll make him stronger than ever!"

"What?" Hub raised an eyebrow. "But you just said that chip was filled with dark power!"

"Exactly!" Sean grinned. "Dark power is like… steroids. For NetNavies. You give your Navi a shot of this stuff, they become stronger and more powerful than they've ever been before. It's really something else."

The two Hikari twins shared a look. "...If all they do is make your NetNavi stronger, then why is it so dangerous?" Hub asked, somewhat suspicious."

"Ah." Sean tapped his chin once. "It's because your NetNavi can get addicted to it."

"Addicted?" Can NetNavies have addictions as well?

"Yup!" spinning around back to face his laptop, Sean pulled up an image of the Dark Chip, inspecting it closely. "Your Navi might feel completely fine as first, but as time passes, they'll begin to crave more and more of the dark power. I've heard that there're even some Navies that'll do anything for it. As time passes, they might even go berserk and stop listening to their operators altogether!" At this, Sean turned back slightly, giving Netto a look. "That's why you shouldn't ever allow your NetNavi to come into contact with one of these chips! ...Not unless you want them to turn into a murderous psychopath, anyways."

"X!" Netto took his PET out, panicking after hearing Sean's explanation. "Do you feel alright?!"

"I… I feel just fine…" X frowned, feeling concerned himself. "I don't feel anything weird at all…"

"That's good- It means that the dark power hasn't had the chance to manifest in your NetNavi just yet." Sean crossed his arms. "You're lucky you managed to bring it over that quickly- Who knew what would've happened if X had prolonged contact with that Dark Chip?"

"Why do you even want us to go find something so dangerous in the first place?" Hub interjected before his younger sibling could start another fight with Sean. "What do you want it for?"

"Another excellent question!" Sean beamed. "Well, the dark power within this Dark Chip  _has_  to come from  _somewhere_ , and as far as we're concerned, there's only one source for this dark power." At this, Sean suddenly raised his voice. "Maybe we could track down the location of the Dark Soul if we analyze the data within this Dark Chip!"

"O...kay…" Hub ignored Sean's sudden change in tone. "So, what you mean to say is that this chip might have that Dark Soul's unique energy signature within it, and if we can identify this signature, it can potentially lead us to the Dark Soul. Is that it?"

"Ding ding ding! We have a winner!" Sean grinned as he made jazz hands at the elder Hikari twin. Neither of the two boys were amused. "Anyways, that's enough chatter. The sooner I get to analyzing this sample you got me, the sooner I can pin down an energy signature, you know?" Rubbing his hands together, Sean turned back to the screen of his laptop, before waving his hand at the two other boys once more. "You two have been very entertaining, and I'm sure you'll find something else to bother me at another time, but I have work to do now, so please leave me to it!"


	228. Chapter 189

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey. Coming back to this story, I just realized that I don't have anything planned for the 200th chapter for LGOTN. Do you guys want something like the 100th chapter special, or something else this time around? If you have any ideas, please let me know, okay?
> 
> A/N2: I got a 3.03 CGPA! Yas boiyos! That's exactly what I studied my ass off for!

Shademan was nearly shaking with nervousness as he watched the silver-finned version of Forte quietly observe the damage caused on the internet city through a holographic screen.

"...Are you pleased, master?" The bat Navi attempted. He was certain he'd caused enough havoc to terrify all of Den City's netizens.

"Hm." The Dark Soul continued to stare silently, barely even acknowledging the bat Navi.

"...Now would be the perfect time to open the gate within the Dark Web, master." Shademan tried again. "The people are struck by terror and have yet to recover from it. They've been rendered frightful and disorganized. If we were to attack now-"

"No." The Dark Soul didn't even bother glancing at him as it cut him off.

Shademan balnched. "B-but master…!"

"I want more." The silver-finned Forte smirked, eyes glowing a deep amethyst. "This isn't nearly enough to satisfy me. I need to see the cyberworld in complete chaos."

The bat Navi fell quiet, frowning internally as he wracked his mind for ideas. Despite his better judgement, Shademan knew that there was no arguing with the Dark Soul, unless he wanted to become nothing more than scrap data in an instant. So that meant he had to find another way to sate the Dark Soul's desire for destruction, or get deleted doing so.

"Well?" Shademan tensed when the Dark Soul's gaze fell upon him. "Are you going to just stand there and do nothing?"

"N-no! Of course not!" Shademan stammered. What can he do to throw the net into even more chaos other than attacking its largest city directly? Perhaps, if the citizens themselves were to turn against the cyberworld…

An idea swiftly formed in the bat Navi's mind, and he grinned. "Worry not, master. I know exactly what to do. You only need to sit back and watch…"

* * *

"The damage is quite severe in this area as well." The NetNavi spoke as he inspected his surroundings while levitating mid-air. "We've barely begun repairing the damage done by Alpha, and now, the virus attack from last week has added onto it." Then, in a softer voice, the Navi continued. "...Though, I suppose I should count myself fortunate that I'm never short on work to do…"

"Oi! Elecman!"

"Huh?" Looking down, the electric Navi saw another NetNavi on the data path below him, waving one of his arms that somewhat resembled a column machine to get his attention. "Bondman? Is something wrong?"

"Yes! I mean- Well, not really!" Bondman stammered, bringing the tips of his two arm appendages together as if mimicking the motion of twirling one's fingers. "There's nothing really  _wrong_ , per se, but I don't think it's anything  _right_ , either!"

Elecman sighed as he landed onto the platform next to Bondman. "Just tell me what it is."

"Well, a net police officer just came by. Said he wanted to ask some question regarding the team currently working on this part of the city, or something." Bondman explained, frowning slightly as he attempted to recall the somewhat one-sided conversation he had with the officer. "And since you're technically the one leading the repair efforts in this part of the Internet City, I thought it'd be better if you talked to him about that, instead." Then, the Navi mumbled softly, almost underneath his breath. "...Not sure if I can be of much help in that regards, anyways…"

"A net police officer…?" Elecman mused to himself. Well, he supposed it made sense. The previous virus attack had been one of the largest and most destructive faced by the Internet City for quite a while. That probably explained why the net police had felt the need to get involved in a more direct, hands-on way. "Alright. I'll talk to him. Where is he?"

Turning slightly, Bondman gestured to where their repair team had put up blockades preventing other civilians from entering the area while they were busy fixing the path. "He's right over there!"

"Thanks." Elecman gave the Navi a nod, before heading towards the general direction of the blockade. As he got near, however, the electric Navi suddenly realized just who the net police officer his colleague had been talking about was.

"Oh, no." Elecman groaned.

"Not you again." Blues scowled.

There was a brief pause. "What did you just say?!" Both Navies yelled at the same time.

"So, uh, officer…" Bondman coughed awkwardly next to them. "Is there something that you wanted to know?"

"There is." Blues replied without taking his eyes off of Elecman. The electric Navi narrowed his eyes in response. "I want a list of all of the NetNavies currently repairing this part of the Internet City; Their serial codes, basic information, operators, everything."

"What?" Elecman raised an eyebrow. It wasn't that the Navi didn't have access to such information, but… "What do you need something like that for?"

"It's none of your concern." Blues crossed his arms. "And as a net police officer, I have the authority to request such information."

"So… You're looking for someone, but the reason is classified?" Bondman brought his two mechanic appendages together once more, the tips making a small  _clank_  as they bumped into each other. "That sounds serious… Are you looking for a fugitive? I hope it's not the new guy. I liked that guy."

At this, Blues finally appeared to acknowledge Bondman. "The new guy?"

"Y-yeah… The new guy." Blues' tone seemed to have made the Navi somewhat nervous. "He got swapped over to our team just a month or two ago. He was quite chill, and it was nice working with him." Bondman appeared to grow more concerned as he continued. "B-but recently… He's been acting all sorts of weird! He gets angry and mad at everyone. I've tried asking him if he's been having a bad day, or something, but he just yelled at me and told me to go screw myself!" Bondman's voice grew softer until it was just a small mumble. "It was kind of rude of him, if you asked me…"

"..." Elecman gave the net police officer a suspicious look- Blues appeared to be too interested in the 'new guy' Bondman was talking about.

"Who's this 'new guy'?" Blues asked Bondman.

"He's-" The Navi's answer was cut short when a gasp, following by the noise of metals colliding was heard from behind them. Turning around, the group of three saw a normal Navi with some building materials scattered on the floor around his feet- The Navi appeared to have dropped them.

"Oh, hey chap!" Bondman waved an arm at the Navi. He didn't seem to have caught onto the normal Navi's nervous shaking. "We were just talking about you!"

"Y-you…? And a net police officer…?" The Navi took a step back. "No… No! It's not possible! I didn't do anything… I didn't do anything wrong!"

Elecman caught onto the Navi's strange behavior immediately. Something wasn't quite right. But what was it…?

"H-hey! It's alright! There's no need to panic!" Bondman attempted to calm the normal Navi down. "No one's accusing you of anything-"

"You've come into contact with  _it_ , haven't you." Blues seemed to have pieced together what had happened in his mind just from the Navi's overtly nervous demeanor alone.

"...Well, expect for him." Bondman whispered softly.

"No! It's not true-  _It's not true!_ " The Navi took several more steps back, shaking his head. "You're wrong-  _YOU'RE WRONG!_ "

Elecman stared in shock and bafflement. The situation was getting out of hand, quick. "What are you-"

He was interrupted by the Navi's loud scream. Eyes glazed over, the Navi raised a hand at the group, already formed into a buster, and Elecman jumped forward instantly, reacting on instinct.

"Watch out!"

Raising both hands, Elecman had just enough time to summon an electric barrier covering the three of them as a blast of energy collided into them, and even then, the electric Navi was sent reeling from the force of the attack. He collapsed just as the barrier he summoned flickered and disappeared in an instant. "Wh… What kind of power is that?" The Navi knew he could have been deleted, or, at the very least, very badly injured if that shot had actually struck them.

Why had the normal Naiv suddenly began acting strangely and then attacked them straight out of nowhere? What in the world was going on?!

" _YOU ALL SHOULD BE DELETED!_ " Apparently, the Navi wasn't done yet. " _NOW DISAPPEAR FROM MY SIGHT!_ "

"Shit!" Elecman wasn't sure if he could take another hit as the Navi pointed his buster at them once more. However, this time, Blues was the one to react.

"Area Steal!"

In an instant, the red Navi disappeared and reappeared directly in front of the rouge Navi, slicing his weapon clean in half with his sword before the Navi even had the opportunity to fire it again. The normal Navi screamed, his cracked voice sounding more like a screech as he recoiled in shock, and this time, Blues grabbed the Navi by the back of his neck, before slamming his head into the ground, putting a dent in the floor and successfully knocking the out of control Navi out.

"Enzan-sama, I believe I've found a Navi that might have come into contact with the corruptive data." By now, Blues seemed to have completely forgotten about Elecman and Bondman's existence as he reported back to his operator. "...Yes. Of course. I'm bringing him back for analysis right now."

"...Oh no. It  _was_  him, after all…" Bondman sounded disappointed as he watch Blues disappear with the normal Navi. "I don't know what trouble he got himself into, but I hope it's not anything too serious…"

"How can it  _not_  be serious?" Elecman gave Bondman a weird look. "Did you see what he just did?"

"Oh. Right." Bondman looked down. "...I guess attacking a net police officer is quite a serious crime…"

Elecman sighed, shaking his head. Somehow, he doubted that whatever the normal Navi had gotten himself into, it ran much deeper than simply attacking the net police officer. There was that strange behavior that the Navi had when he saw Blues, and then there was that energy blast…

He didn't want to judge, but was it even possible for normal Navies to be able to produce energy shots of such a magnitude…?

"Alright. That's enough talking- We're not going to come any closer to an answer, anyways." Elecman said. "We have to get back to work- The city isn't going to fix itself!"

"R-right!" Bondman nodded.

As Elecman went back to inspecting the damage around the area, the Navi made a mental note to warn his other friends about what he just saw. Somehow, the electric Navi suspected that whatever just happened wouldn't be a one time occurance...


	229. Chapter 190

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I lost so much fucking water today from sneezing and blowing my nose that I have to drink so much of it back just to not be completely dehydrated. Why do I sneeze so much. It's not even THAT cold.

"Man… It's been awfully quiet since the virus attack, hasn't it?"

Hub turned to Netto. The two boys had been walking home after school when the younger suddenly spoke out. "Isn't that a good thing?" Hub asked him, raising an eyebrow. It was probably a week after their encounter with Shademan, and the revived darkloids. "I don't think the cyberworld can handle another attack like the one we just had right now."

"I'm not actually hoping that the net would get attacked again, Nii-san!" Netto pouted, crossing his arms behind his head as he walked. "But it's just… suspicious, you know? We might still be able to get some clues about what the Dark Soul is planning if it decides to attack the net, but now that it's gone completely quiet… Who knows what it's even doing?"

Hub bit his lip in thought. He could see his younger sibling's point, but… "There just isn't anything we can do right now." The boy sighed. "We don't even know where the Dark Soul might be hiding, so it's not like we can do much else, other than to wait for it to resurface once more." At this, Hub appeared to have recalled something. "Didn't Sean say he could potentially locate the Dark Soul using the energy signature he extracted from the Dark Chip we gave him?"

"Do you honestly believe him, Nii-san?" The mention of the other boy was enough to put Netto in a bad mood. "Come on! It's been a week since he's had that stupid chip! If he was really as smart as he said he was, we would've known where the Dark Soul was hiding a long time ago!" The boy squinted, pursing his lips. "...I bet he just made that all up to make himself sound smart. Ha!"

"Netto-kun…" Hub sighed, shaking his head,but he couldn't help but grin. As much as he hated to admit it, Hub found himself quite annoyed with Sean as well, despite knowing that the other boy was smarter than he looked or behaved. "Maybe tracking down the Dark Soul is more difficult than it looks? Perhaps he just needs some more time."

"Yeah, right…" Netto mumbled quietly, kicking a stray pebble away as they continued down the street. Then, the two boys stopped in their tracks upon hearing a small ruckus coming from up ahead.

"That's the local arcade…" Hub pondered out loud. "But what's with the large group of people outside?"

Walking closer to join the crowd, the two twins noticed that the people outside were looking at the large display screen that was hung near the entrance of the arcade. Netto squinted as he attempted to see what was playing through the crowd. From what the boy managed to gather, it was live footage of a net battle currently happening inside of the arcade, though that wouldn't have been nearly enough to draw in the large crowd that was currently gathered outside.

"Netto-kun." Hub appeared to have noticed something odd about the footage. "Have you ever seen a battle arena like that before?"

The younger boy blinked. It took him a few seconds to realize what Hub was referring to. "Hey- Why're there Battle Chips scattered all over the arena?"

Both boys continued to watch as the two NetNavies on screen exchanged blows with each other, one of the Navies catching the other off guard with an unexpected buster shot. As the Navi was struck and was flung back by the collision, the Navi managed to maneuver himself so that he landed near one of the Battle Chip datas afloat around the area. Taking hold of the piece of data, the NetNavi unleashed his counter attack- retaliating with a wave of energy from the Variant Sword he acquired from the Battle Chip data.

"No way!" Netto's eyes went wide. He's seen many different kinds of battle arenas before from the N2, but never one that just had pieces of Battle Chip data floating around that the navies inside can take advantage of!

"It's totally amazing, isn't it?" Having overheard Netto and Hub's conversation, one of the other boys in the crowd turned to them, his eyes almost sparkling. "Apparently, this is the new battle arena that the arcade's planning on launching in several months- The Battle Chip arena!" There was a series of gasps cheers as one of the Navies currently engaged in battle just managed to block an incoming attack with a Leaf Shield chip he snatched from the area. "They're still doing some beta testing inside of the arcade to work out all the bugs, but I can't wait! I wish they'd release the arena sooner!"

"So this footage is from inside of the arcade?" Netto took a moment to ponder over the fact, before grinning widely. "Nii-san! Let's go in and take a look!"

"Netto!" Hub attempted to protest- The elder boy suspected that this was his sibling's way of attempting to get out of doing homework, but Netto had already grabbed him by the wrist and was pushing through the crowd. It wasn't long before they slipped through the entrance of the arcade, where another group of people were crowded around one of the battle spheres, most liking spectating the battle inside the new arena intently.

"Alright. We're inside now." Hub frowned at his younger sibling. "What now?" The new battle arena wasn't even released yet- The footage they were playing was from beta testing! It wasn't as if the two of them could have a net battle within the Battle Chip arena, even if they wanted to.

Netto's grin widened. "What do you mean, Nii-san?" He seemed to have caught onto Hub's concern. "Now we just go ask around! Who knows- Maybe whoever's in charge might even let us help beta test the Battle Chip arena!"

"Are you serious?" Hub was in equal parts surprised and resigned. It was just like Netto to suggest something like that.

"Hey- We're both finalists from the two N1 tournaments, aren't we?" Looking around, Netto quickly located an area next to some of the other arcade machines where they could plug in. "Come on, Nii-san! It might be fun!"

"Alright, alright. Fine." Hub sighed. "But only  _one_  battle- And that's only if they allow us to use the arena in the first place, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it." Netto replied absent-mindedly. "Now, come on! Plug in-"

"Rockman X!"

"Rockman Zero!"

"Transmission!"

In a flash of red and blue, both Navies entered into the cyberworld of the arcade. X squinted immediately, raising a hand to cover his eyes. "This place is still filled with neon lights from the last time we visited…"

"Well, it's supposed to be all exciting and get you pumped for net battles, after all." Zero shrugged.

"Well, well, well! What do we have here? The two famed NetNavies, X and Zero?"

"Ah!" Both Navies turned to the familiar voice coming from behind them, and X couldn't quite hide his shock upon seeing the Navi who was approaching them. "Colouredman?"

"Hee hee!" The clown Navi giggled in his high-pitched voice. "The one and only!"

"You work here now?" Despite knowing that the Blue Myth had a hand in… rehabilitating the former WWW Navies, Zero wasn't aware of where the WWW Navies had ended up. He was just as surprised as X was to find Colouredman in the local arcade.

"Bingo~! And I must say, it's an absolute delight!" Colouredman beamed. "The bright colours and loud noises? They're just to my liking!"

"Well, I'm happy to hear that." X smiled, though the Navi knew it would still take him a while to get used to the idea of the former WWW Navies having regular jobs now. "Actually, we wanted to ask some question about the Battle Chip arena."

"The Battle Chip arena!" Colouredman's eyes sparkled as he clasped his hands together. "You saw the live broadcast at the entrance, didn't you! Well, did you like it? I'll have you know that it was actually my idea, hee hee!"

"You thought of that?" It was obvious that Zero hadn't been expecting that.

"Oh, yes! Quite brilliant, isn't it?" Colouredman raised a finger as he began explaining. "Battle Chips are such an integral part of any net battle, so why not make an entire arena out of them? Before the battle, both operators are allowed to register a certain number of Battle Chips into the system. When the battle begins, the chips will then be dispersed randomly across the entire battle field- You might find a chip that you're familiar with, but chances are, you'll stumble across one that you've never seen before!" The clown Navi appeared to giggle at the thought. "The added element of uncertainty surely helps bring out more of the excitement, doesn't it? Hee hee!"

"It sure does!" X was smiling as well. "A-actually, we were wondering if we would be able to try out the new arena ourselves! I know that it's in beta-testing right now, and it's completely okay if we can't, but-"

"Are you kidding me?" Colouredman cut him off before he could finish. "People already love the idea of the Battle Chip arena! Can you imagine just how much popular it will get if we can get two of the most famous NetNavies to promote it?!"

"W-well-" X blushed, stammering slightly. "I appreciate the compliment, but I wouldn't say-"

"It's settled!" Colouredman had took the two Navies wrist and was leading them down one of the data paths. "As soon as this current match concludes, you can have the entire Battle Chip arena to yourselves! Just be sure to put on a good show for the audience, okay? Hee hee!"


	230. Chapter 191

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Enrolled into two art courses this semester. Didn't realize how much time, money and effort went into studying buildings until now.

The floor of the arena seemed to shake as one of the Navies pounded the ground with the Big Hammer data he found, cracking the floor panels right underneath the two battling NetNavies. That turned out to have been a mistake on his part, when snake viruses emerges from the cracks from the tiles and lunged themselves at him all at found- His opponent had apparently acquired a Snake Battle Chip hidden somewhere within the arena. The crowd of NetNavies cheered wildly from the spectating stand just above the arena.

"Ooh! This is so exciting!" X and Zero gave Colouredman a brief glance as the clown Navi clutched his face in barely contained joy- The Navi had taken them to the spectator's stand so there were able to watch the current battle play out while they waited for their turn to battle in the new arena.

"He seems a bit too happy about what's happening." Zero whisper to X softly as the two NetNavies watched one of the Navies trying to get all the snake viruses off himself.

"Can you blame him?" X raised an eyebrow. "It's his idea, after all. Anyone would be happy about people appreciating their ideas."

"I guess you're right." Zero sighed. "Ah- It looks like the match is about to conclude!"

True to his observations, one of the Navies had collapsed onto the floor. After the prolonged battle and having been ambushed by the pit of snake viruses, the Navi barely had any strength left in him to fight.

"Yes!" Seeing the Navi downed, his opponent began celebrating his victory. "I won!"

"Tch…" The Navi glared at his opponent, not quite willing to concede defeat. For a moment, he frowned, as if pondering over something, before a grin crossed his features. "Heh… Not for long…" Reaching behind his back, the Navi then pulled out the Battle Chip data that he'd been hiding since the beginning of the match. There was a gasp of surprise and excitement among the crowd as the audience began to anticipate what was about to happen. X gasped, too, but not for the same reason.

"Zero!" The Navi's eyes were wide as he stared at the Battle Chip. "That chip looks just like the Dark Chip we found during the virus attack!"

"Hey-  _Hey!_ " Seeing the Navi pull out an unidentified chip, Colouredman reacted instantly. Jumping over the group of spectators, the clown Navi landed in between the two battling NetNavies with a small thud, wagging a finger at the kneeling Navi as he put his other hand on his waist. "Ah-ah-ah! That's an unregistered chip you have right there, kiddo! If you use that Battle Chip, you'll be disqualified instantly!"

The Navi appeared to hesitate at his words, though he seemed just as quick to make up his mind. "I don't care! I'm not going to lose to him-  _I won't lose to him!_ "

As the Navi activated the chip data, a pulse of ominous energy was released from the chip. Colouredman took a step back in shock as a chill went down his spine. The Navi behind him reacted similarly. "Wha… What kind of Battle Chip is that…?"

"Colouredman!" X had finally managed to push himself through the crowd and leapt off from the spectator's stand, jumping into the arena.

" _Raaaaaah!_ " The Navi howled as dark energy began to swirl around him, strengthening his body yet twisting his mind at the same time. He raised a hand, summoning his weapon acquired from the chip data. " _Dark Sword!_ "

"Hey!" Colouredman frowned. It was obvious that the clown Navi hadn't realized the potential danger he was putting himself in. "Don't you raise that weapon at me-"

"Watch out!" X yelled, cutting him off as he placed himself in between Colouredman and the Navi now consumed with dark power, just as he swung his sword down at the three Net Navies in front of him. In a flash, X barely managed to activate his barrier in time, shielding them from the brunt of the attack, but the surrounding arena was not as fortunate. The moment the Dark Sword was slammed into the ground, to floor began to crack and shake. There was a dividing split being torn through the center of the arena as the aftershocks from the Dark Sword's power washed through the area, breaking everything in its path.

" _HOLY MOLY!_ " Colouredman shrieked, clutching his head. The entire Battle Chip arena was just split in half by a single attack!

"Wh-what kind of power is this?!" The Navi that had previously been engaged in battle seemed mortified by the destruction as well. "This is insanity! I don't want to be deleted! I'm out!" With that, the Navi disappeared as he logged out of the Battle Sphere completely.

"X!" By now, Zero had caught up with his companion. "Are you okay?"

"I'll live…" X gasped, still reeling from the force of the attack. "So that's what Sean meant when he said that the Dark Chip would make its users more powerful…"

"Dark Chip? Power?  _What?!_ " Colouredman was having a hard time keeping calm, much less understand anything that was happening. All he knew was that three months worth of his work had just gotten completely wrecked in an instant! "What're you two yammering on about?!"

"There's no time to explain!" X yelled back. Although the Navi appeared dazed and not fully aware of his surroundings, X could tell that he was already gearing up for another attack. "You saw what just happened- The chip that that Navi just used is very dangerous! You gotta get all the others out of here before he can hurt anyone!"

"Alright, alright! I got ya…" Colouredman mumbled. He was still very much hurt by the fact that his Battle Chip arena had gotten completely damaged, but there was no arguing what the more important thing was at the moment. "I'll go get everyone outta here… You two! Don't show any mercy to this wacko that completely wrecked my arena! You got it?!"

"Alright, fine." Zero couldn't quite stop the snort of laughter that escaped him at Colouredman's insistence. "We'll kick his butt, no worries."

"Hmph!" In response, Colouredman crossed his arms dramatically. With that, the Navi disappeared, too, presumably heading back to the spectator stand to warn any lingering NetNavies still hanging around.

With the matter now dealt with, X turned back to the NetNavi, still surrounded by spirals of dark energy. "Hey! Snap out of it!" The blue Navi yelled, attempting to get the other Navi back to his senses. "That chip you're holding onto is dangerous! You might accidentally hurt a lot of innocent people with that!"

However, instead of replying, the Navi just stared at them awkwardly. " _More… opponents…?_ " The Navi mumbled absent-mindedly. "... _It doesn't matter how many of you there are… I'LL DEFEAT YOU ALL!_ "

As he yelled, both X and Zero felt another pulse of the unsettling energy being released from the Dark Chip.

"It's no use…!" X suddenly realized, his eyes wide with shock. "He's consumed by the dark power… He doesn't even know what's going on!"

"Then I guess that means we'll just have to knock some sense into him!" Zero said as he raised his sword, bracing for battle.

That appeared to have triggered a response from the crazed Navi, who lifted his own weapon in response. " _...If it's a fight that you want… THEN BRING IT ON!_ "


	231. Chapter 192 (Battle Chip Arena)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Out of all the dialogue I've written for Shadowman, "seize your delusions" has to be the weirdest one. Also, just realized that the reason why the EXE manga didn't have Alpha was because the Cybeasts actually came from the "prototype network", which technically isn't Alpha in the manga, so… Oops…?
> 
> A/N1: Apparently in the Battle Chip Arena special chapter in the manga, Forte gets his fucking head cut off. Again, not sure why 8 year old me didn't think there was anything wrong with that. Jesus.

Zero's first instinct upon hearing the Navi's taunt was to rush forward with his own weapon, intending to cut his opponent down before the Navi could cause any more mayhem. His companion seemed to realize that that was a bad idea, as X quickly grabbed him by his wrist and yanked him to the side before the Navi could approach the out-of-control Navi. "Zero! It's dangerous!"

As soon as he finished, the renegade Navi swung his sword once more, a wave of energy emerging from his weapon this time, and completely obliterated the ground where Zero would have been had X not pulled him away. Even so, the two Navies were still flung backwards by the aftershocks of the blast.

"Shit!" Zero cursed out loud as he scrambled to get back onto his feet.

"We probably shouldn't engage him up front…" X frowned as he looked at the giant crater where the floor used to be just a moment ago. "Not unless we want to end up like that…"

"Right…" Zero couldn't help but feel that he might have been too hasty in his attempt to engage the crazed Navi.

"We're going for maximum damage from a distance, right?" Netto already had a plan in mind as he took out several Battle Chips. "Don't worry! I got you covered! Attack Battle Chip; Giga Canon! Slot in!"

As he pushed the chip into the reader, however, his PET beeped with a notification.

_Chip unregistered; Battle Chip denied._

"Wh-what?"

"Netto-kun?" X attempted to reach his operator when he noticed the delay in receiving any Battle Chip data. "Is something-"

" _rrRRGGHAAHHhh!_ "

Both Navies gasped, before leaping backwards, just as the crazed Navi started running towards him, his weapon raised. The Navi's movements were awkward and unnatural, but that didn't stop the floor panels from being completely destroyed when the Navi attempted to attack them, stabbing at the ground where they were previously. The entire arena shook once more.

"Zero! X! Are you two okay?" It was Hub this time. The image of the arena being projected by the Battle Sphere had fizzled into a static for a moment when the Navi attacked.

"We're fine!" Zero said. "But what's with the hold up? Did something happen?"

"Yeah!" It was obvious that Netto was both panicked and annoyed from his tone alone. "Something's wrong with my PET! It won't take any Battle Chips!"

"Why not?" X attempted to stop the sudden dread crawling up his spine. The Navi they were currently dealing with already had a huge boost to his powers thanks to the Dark Chip. They didn't need the addition of being unable to use their Battle Chips added into the mix.

"I don't know!" Netto was shaking his PET as if the action itself would fix it. "Whenever I try to use a Battle Chip, it just says the chip's not registered and it won't accept it!"

"An unregistered Battle Chip?" The word reminded Zero of something. "Didn't Colouredman say something about chips needing to be registered before they can be used in the Battle Chip arena…?"

X blanched. "Does that mean we can't use any of our Battle Chips because they're not registered into the system?!"

"That's not fair!" Netto was quick to point out. "That Dark Chip's not registered, either! So how come that guy gets to use it?!"

"I don't know. He must have sneaked the chip data past the system somehow, with the intentions of using it if the battle hadn't gone his way." Hub shook his head. "But we don't have time to discuss that. Right now, we need to find some way to stop him without using any of our Battle Chips."

"That's impossible!" Netto turned to his elder sibling. "Can't we find some way to lure him out from the arena? Then we can fight him!"

"As much as I hate to say this, I really don't think we should do that, Netto-kun!" X reminded him. "I don't think he's in control of any of his actions right now, and if we let him escape into the common net…" X shuddered just imagining the damage and chaos that would cause. "...We have to fight him here, where his attacks are still relatively contained!"

"Alright, fine!" Despite his reluctance, the boy could see his NetNavi's point. "But how're we supposed to do that? You saw what that guy just did to the entire arena! Weak attacks won't work on him, and if you get to close, he'll chop you in half!"

"Battle Chips!" Hub gasped, as if he'd just had an epiphany. "We can use Battle Chips!"

"Nii-san!" Netto stared at his elder sibling, as if he'd gone insane. "Did you hear? We  _can't_  use Battle Chips!"

"Not  _ours_!" Hub clarified. "I mean, the ones already in the arena!"

"The one's already in…" Netto was about to ask what his elder twin had meant, before it clicked in his mind. "Ah! That's right! There's Battle Chip data all scattered throughout the arena as it is!" All they had to do was to find where the chip datas were! Then they could use any chip they managed to find!

"Oh!" X almost didn't resist the urge to slap himself over the head. "...I can't believe we didn't think of that sooner!"

"Less talk, more action!" Now that they had a plan, Zero knew just what to do, The red Navi narrowed his eyes in determination. "We have to find as many Battle Chips data scattered all around the arena as well can if we want a chance to fight back!"

"Got it!" X nodded, grinning. "I'll look over here-" The Navi jerked his head to his left as he said this. "And you can go look over there! He can't catch us both at the same time!"

" _ggGGGRRRGHhh!_ " The crazed Navi was preparing for another attack once more, but judging from the dazed look in his eyes, X and Zero doubted that the Navi understood even a word of what they'd just said.

"Now!"

Just as the Navi swung his sword, unleashing another wave of dark energy towards them, both X and Zero leapt in opposite directions. Zero quickly disappeared behind a pile of rubble. Seeing his supposed opponent flee, the renegade Navi screamed. " _DON'TYOUDARERUNFROMME!_ "

He jumped, landing in front of the debris Zero had disappeared behind with a loud thud, cracking the ground underneath him as he landed. He raised his sword, with the intent of obliterating the pile of damaged data, but was knocked sideways as an energy pellet connected with him from behind.

"Hey- From Navi to Navi, this is just a friendly reminder!" X had his buster raised at the crazed Navi. The buster was still smoking. "You probably shouldn't turn your back on your opponent when you're in battle! ...Well, not unless you want to get ambushed!"

" _rrRRrrgh… RRRRRRGHHHHR!_ " The Navi was absolutely seething with rage as he clambered back onto his feet, and X's smile faltered when the swirls of dark energy around the Navi appear to get more concentrated with the Navi's increasing anger and frustration.

X laughed nervously. "I guess he didn't like what I just said…?"

Then, the blue Navi had just enough time to duck under cover as a wave of energy was sent flying towards him, shaking the ground of the arena upon impact.


	232. Chapter 193

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Still kind of annoyed with the regret motion… But my Mom bought me a scented candle today and I'm kind of happy about it because I've never had one of those before. It smells like raspberries.

"Whao!" X was nearly knocked off his feet when the ground beneath his feet jolted once more. The blue Navi could only vaguely make out what the words the crazed Navi screaming behind him were.

"I think you might have made him angry, X." Despite the severity of their situation, Netto seemed unwilling bemused.

"You don't have to tell me that!" His Navi winced, ducking behind cover as he rounded the corner of a data cube. His eyes widened as he saw what he had accidentally stumbled upon. "A Battle Chip data!"

He reached out to snatch the data immediately, though the Navi was just as quick to be confused by the chip as he took note of what was inside that data.

"A yo-yo Battle Chip…?" X raised an eyebrow. How was a toy yo-yo supposed to help during net battles?

"X!" His internal musing was cut short. Netto seemed to have noticed the danger coming up behind his Navi as he warned. "Look out behind you!"

"Yikes!" X leapt sideways, narrowly avoiding the renegade Navi's fist as it came crashing down towards him. "I have no idea what this does, but I hope it works…!"

Activating the chip data, X allowed his right arm to shift like it normally would when he received Battle Chip data from his operator. However, instead of forming into a canon or a sword, it instead took the form of some sort of horizontal slot, with a flat, circular yo-yo lodged in between its hinges.

"Oh god…" X was conflicted, unsure of what to think of the unconventional weapon. But the other NetNavi was already beginning to recover from his previous attack, turning towards X as he raised one hand towards the Navi, dark swirls of energy manifesting itself within his palm instantly- He had the full intention of hurling another ball of energy at him. "I really hope this works…!"

With a soft  _click_ , X aimed the strangely shaped weapon at his target and fired. The yo-yo sprung from its slot once the locking mechanism was unlocked, shooting towards its target. Just as it was about to strike the Navi, five metallic blades unsheathed themselves from the shape of the yo-yo, sending the Navi flying backwards as the weapon slammed into him. X was taken by surprise as well, as he watched the renegade Navi bring thrown into the far side of the arena.

"That was…" Netto sounded mildly confused, before a grin broke out on his features. "...freaking awesome! X! We gotta get ourselves one of those after this is all over!"

"I suppose…" His Navi laughed, slightly unsettled by the idea that there had been blades hidden inside of the seemingly harmless yo-yo.

"X! Are you over there?"

"Zero!" X recognized the voice calling out to him instantly. "Yeah- I'm here!"

He watched Zero leap over a pile of debris and land in front of him with graceful, practised movements. "I found a bunch of Battle Chip data over there- I think we should be able to defeat him with these!"

X was surprised when the other Navi showed him the handful of data chip he collected while scouring through the Battle Chip arena, and the blue Navi felt slightly embarrassed that he had only managed to find the one chip, until he remembered that he'd just spent the majority of the past several minutes running for his life from the crazed Navi.

...The crazed Navi, who had apparently just thrown an entire data cube at them, judging by the square shaped shadowing growing underneath their feet.

"Shit!" Zero cursed as the two of them were nearly crushed underneath the weight of the cube.

" _You think I'm WEAK?_ " The Navi was snarling as he shuffled his way back into the fight. " _I'm not weak… I'll show you I'll show you I'LL SHOW YOU!_ "

"Watch out!" As the Navi screamed, his unleashed a wave of discharge energy all around him. Zero leapt towards his companion, activating one of the chip data he'd found within the arena. "Battle chip; Mole!"

X nearly screamed when he felt the floor give away underneath his feet, though Zero quickly caught him, preventing the two of them from collapsing in a heap in the bottom of the hole that had just appeared as both Navies fell in. The wave of energy passed by above their heads harmlessly. X was flabbergasted. "Wha-"

Then, without pause, Zero emerged from the mole hole, grinning as he activated another chip data. "Attack Battle Chip; Lance!"

Sprouts of bamboo shoots sprung up from the floor tiles underneath the renegade Navi, stabbing into him and cutting whatever he had been about to do off as the Navi screamed in a mixture of shock and pain. X emerged from the hole just in time to watch the scene play out in front of him. He looked at Zero in amazement. "How do you know exactly what these Battle Chips do?" Had the other Navi seem them used somewhere before?

Zero shrugged. "All of the chips have brief descriptions about what they do and what their effects are. I just read them."

"..."

"Here!" Oblivious to his companion's disbelief, Zero tossed him several of the chip data he found. "Use these!"

"Thanks!" X caught the chips mid-air, though as he inspected the data, the blue Navi abruptly took notice of something; He could feel two of the chips vibrating softly in his palm. "Zero!"

His companion looked at him, confused. "What is it?"

"These two chips…" As he said this, X picked out the two Battle Chip data that had caught his attention among the bunch. "They appear to be resonating with each other…"

"Resonating?" Zero raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know…" X frowned, baffled by the familiarity of it as well. "But… It somehow, feels like… like…"

Then, it clicked.

"It feels just like the chips we used to perform Program Advance with!" X exclaimed, startled by the revelation himself. "Whenever Netto and I were about to use a Program Advance, this was the same resonation between the Battle Chips that I felt!" At this, he looked at Zero expectedly. "Don't you feel it, too?"

"I… I didn't notice…" Zero shook his head. "...But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Zero!" X appeared exasperated at his companion's cluelessness. "Don't you get it? These two chips are resonating with each other! Someone must have registered these two chips into the Battle Chip arena knowing that they're necessary for performing a Program Advance! And if we can manage to locate the third chip-"

"Then we can perform the corresponding Program Advance using those three Battle Chips!" Zero finally made the connection X had. "X- You have to find that remaining chip! Ordinary Battle Chips don't seem to have an effect on this guy, but maybe a Program Advance would be enough to knock him out!" He would go look for the remaining chip data himself, but X seemed to be able to pick up on their resonance much easier than he can.

"Right!" X nodded. There was no time to lose. The dark power infused Navi had already recovered from the previous lance attack, too. Fueled by the dark power, It seemed as if nothing was going to be able to keep the NetNavi down. X tose the remaining chips back to Zero. "You hold him off my back as long as you can while I look for the chip- Be careful, Zero!"


	233. Chapter 194

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: My room is now a cult room because I light it using my scented candle. It looks creepy but it smells nice.

"You still hadn't had enough yet?!" Despite his readiness to defeat- or, at the very least, delay the crazed Navi enough to allow X to locate the third and final chip necessary for performing the corresponding Program Advance- Zero still found himself somewhat disturbed by just how resilient the NetNavi was.

If a single Dark Chip contained that much power to turn any ordinary Navi into such a powerhouse, what would happen if these Dark Chips ended up being spread across the entire common net, where many Navies could very much be swayed into their allure of power…?

Shuddering, Zero forced the thought out of his mind for the moment. Just in time, too, as another wave of the crackling, dark energy narrowly missed him as he sidestepped, avoiding the attack. He needed to concentrate on his task at the moment- He'll have plenty of time to think about the implications that the Dark Chip would have on network society after this entire ordeal, when he wasn't actively avoiding deletion.

" _Why… won't… you…_ " The Navi was clutching his head as he shook. " _Just… DIE!?_ "

"Yeah, that's not going to happen any time soon." Zero narrowed his eyes, activating one of the Battle Chip data he found. "Let's see how you like this! Battle Chip; Moloko Rush!"

As he activated the chip, there was a slight moment of delay, followed by the sounds of quick stomping, growing louder as the ground appeared to vibrate slightly as the sound grew. Dozens of Moloko viruses had been released into the area as they ran haphazardly into the general direction that they were programed to. The first few of the sheep like viruses had successfully collided with the renegade Navi, knocking him back slightly, before he retaliated.

" _Do you think this is FUNNY?!_ " The Navi was screeching at this point. " _FUCK OFF!_ "

With a swing of his arm, he swatted one of the Moloko viruses aside, sending it flying across the arena, beeping in shock and terror, before landing in a pile on the ground. The sheep-like virus meeped, disorientated as its short, stubby legs twitched. The remaining viruses suffered similar fates.

" _NO MORE HIDING!_ " The Navi now turned his attention towards Zero.  _"NOW YOU'RE NEXT!_ "

"Shit…" Zero cursed silently. The red Navi only had a limited number of Battle Chips left, but nothing appeared to have any impact of the crazed Navi. "Whatever that Program Advance is, it better work…"

"Zero! I found it!"

"What?" Zero turned to where the voice had come from to see X climbing over one of the collapsed structures within the arena, waving at him to get his attention. "That was quick!" The arena wasn't huge by any measure, but the chaos and ruins all around it had made it difficult to navigate. How was X able to locate the final chip so quickly?

"I didn't know where the chip was." X explained, as if sensing Zero's internal question. "I just followed the resonance frequencies that the chips were giving out. It led me to the last chip." Then, the blue Navi's expression turned. He looked stern. "Step back, Zero! I'm going to activate this Program Advance!"

"Do you even know which order the chips go in?" Zero raised an eyebrow.

"I-" The question gave X pause, and Zero couldn't help but pale slightly; He hadn't meant to doubt his companion at all, but if they failed this Program Advance, the consequences would be dire!

"I- I'm sure I have a pretty good idea of which of these chips goes first!" Shaking his head, X attempted to spill the doubts from his mind, reassuring himself and Zero. He was somewhat sure he can figure out the order of the chips just form the resonance they were giving out alone. "Alright, here goes!"

Leaping in front of Zero, X only hesitated for a brief moment, reading through the short description within the chip data before he activated each of the chips in sequence. "Uh… Attack Battle Chips; Gun Sol One! Gun Sol Two!"

As both chips were activated, it summoned two weirdly-shaped guns in both his hands. Zero stared, baffled by the two weapons. It wasn't like anything he'd ever seen before.

Ignoring his own confusion, X continued and activated the third chip. "Gun Sol Three!"

As the final chip data was recieved, the two guns in his palms began to pull and resonate with the other, the feeling similar to when the Sword and Wide Sword would react to each other whenever he attempted a Beta Sword Program Advance. The blue Navi had no trouble bringing the two guns together as they glowed a brighten, golden sheen, both weapons melding into the other, before fizzling and disappearing from existence altogether.

There was a slight pause.

"Uh…" Zero coughed. "So… Did it work…?"

"I- I don't know!" X was beginning to panic. He was sure he'd input the chips in the correct order! "Maybe it-"

_Crash!_

The sudden noise caught both Navies attention. Looking to where the dark power infused Navi was, X and Zero now saw that the Navi now appeared to be crushed underneath a dark, metallic coffin.

" _Wha-_ " The Navi coughed, reeling from the impact. " _What sort of trickery is this?!_ "

"Hey- The Program Advance worked, after all!" X still had no idea how the three guns were related to summoning a coffin to crush their opponent, but the Navi was still relieved, nonetheless. "There's no way he can get ou-"

Then, before he can finish, both Navies noticed the flicker of golden light above their heads. Looking upwards, X's jaw dropped as he watched as a large pillar of light shoot down from the heavens above, before crashing down onto the renegade Navi still trapped underneath the coffin.

"Holy shit." Zero said, almost to himself when he heard the Navi scream as he was scorched by the brilliant light. Who the heck programed this Program Advance? Who had saw the need to incinerate their enemies by searing them with blinding light?

The beam continued strong for several moments longer, before it flickered away into non existence. The coffin soon disintegrated as well, leaving behind the Navi that had been unfortunate enough to be caught underneath it.

"O-oh…" The Navi groaned, unable to get up. "My head… hurts…" That appeared to be all he could get out before passing out completely.

"Phew…" X sighed, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "We finally did it…"

"I can't believe the Dark Chip is actually this powerful…" Zero mused to himself as he approached the unconscious NetNavi. Then, the Navi noticed the small piece of chip data that now laid next to the downed Navi once he got near.

"Look." Kneeling down, the red Navi picked up the Dark Chip that the other NetNavi appeared to have dropped after falling unconscious. "This was the Dark Chip he used during the battle."

"Huh." X frowned. He could recognize such a chip anywhere now. "...What should we do with it?"

"We can't just toss it anywhere." Zero decided. They couldn't risk another NetNavi stumbling onto the Dark Chip by accident and using it. That would be devastating. "...Maybe Sean wouldn't mind looking at another one of these Dark Chips…?"

_Beep beep beep!_

"Speak of the devil…" Zero sighed. It appeared to be a call from Sean. "Hub-san?"

"Let's hear what he has to say now." Hub shrugged. With that, Zero accepted the call.

" _...Oh my gosh! Finally! It's about time you picked up!"_  On his PET's screen, it now showed Sean's face as the younger boy yelled at him.

"What do you want this time?" Netto leaned over, not even bothering to hide his annoyance with the other boy.

" _What do I want? What do you mean what do I-"_  Sean was cut off mid sentence by a distant banging, barely audible through the PET. Gasping, the boy looked to where the noise had come from off-screen, before turning to face the two Hikari twins once more.

" _Listen, I don't have a lot of time to explain this."_  When he spoke once more, Sean's voice seemed to have taken on one of immediate urgency.  _"But you gotta help me! There's this nasty person- And he's come for me! I have no idea what's going to happen when he does- But please help me! I'm begging you, okay?!"_

"What?" That caught Hub's attention- Someone was after Sean? "Who is it? Who's after you?"

" _Goddamn I don't have time for that!"_ Sean hissed.  _"Just come and get me out of here! I-"_

Then, the image flickered briefly, turning into static as the two Hikari twins heard Sean scream before cutting off entirely.


	234. Chapter 195

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Wrote this early for you guys. I'm off to the Crystalline Gala now. See ya.

"What do you think happened to Sean?" Netto asked his elder sibling. The two twins had rushed over to SciLabs as quickly as they could after their call with the younger boy had been cut short.

"I have no idea…" Hub frowned as the two of them sped down the hallway. "I just hope nothing bad's happened…!"

As they arrived at the room they knew Sean had been stationed at, Hub flung the door open. The lights had been turned off, the interior dark save for the soft glowing of the laptop screen. Sean was nowhere to be found.

"He's gone…!" Hub narrowed his eyes. "Whoever the other person was that we heard over the call must have taken him!"

"Damn it!" Netto cursed. "This doesn't even make any sense! Why would anyone kidnap Sean?"

"Netto-kun!" Hub wasn't sure whether to yell or sigh. "I know you don't really like him, and frankly, neither do I. But you have to at least realize that he's provided a lot of useful information regarding the Dark Soul and its power- Perhaps someone might have noticed this as well. That's why they decided to kidnap him!"

"Oh…" His younger sibling looked away, slightly ashamed- Yes, he hated Sean, but that didn't mean he wanted the other boy endangered!

"Come on!" Hub urged his younger sibling back out into the hallway. "Maybe whoever's kidnapped Sean hasn't left yet. If we hurry, we might be able to catch him!"

"...Stop it! Ouch! You're hurting me…!"

"Nii-san!" Netto caught onto the distant voice. "That's Sean!"

"He's still nearby!" Following the source of the sound down the hallway, both boys rounded the corner. Only to be greeted by a scene that they were not expecting.

"OW!" As both of the Hikari twins went up to him, Sean was still struggling with his supposed captor. "That's it! I'm calling the net police! They'll have no choice but to arrest the top net officer Enzan Ijuuin for child abuse! Take that!"

"That's enough!" His captor yelled back. "Just stop it already!"

"Enzan!" Netto was surprised by the other boy's appearance, and mildly curious as to why the net police officer currently had the smaller boy in a choke hold.

"Oh my gosh! Finally! You two are here!" Sean spoke up before Enzan could even say anything. "Quick! You gotta help me! This guy totally wants to get me back for that time on the cruise!" At this, Sean glared at the eldre boy holding him. "This is police violence, and I will not stand for- Hhmmnph!"

"Shut up!" Enzan had clasped one hand over the smaller boy's mouth. "Somehow, you're even more annoying than Hikari!"

"Hey!" Both Netto and Hub yelled. Then, the looked at each other, confused.

"Enzan!" Hub was the first to recover. "What're you doing here? And why…" At this, the elder of the Hikari twins gave Sean a brief glance. The smaller boy appeared very much displeased by his current predicament. "...Why are you choking Sean…?"

"Official business." Enzan replied curtly. Knowing that he wouldn't be left alone otherwise, he proceeded to briefly explain himself. "After the virus attack on the Internet City a week ago, repeated incidents of network attacks were reported throughout Den City's cyberworld. I decided to take a look into the situation to see if I can determine the reason behind such attacks- Which I succeeded in. And-" At this, the white haired boy gave the smaller boy still locked in his choke hold a jerk. "I was told, that a certain child genius would be able to tell me more regarding the source of these objects."

"Objects related to other network attacks after the one from last week?" There was a hint of suspicion in Netto's voice. He was suspecting something. "What was that object you found?"

"Some sort of purple-tinted Battle Chip." Enzan narrowed his eyes, catching onto Netto's questioning tone. "The NetNavies who handle them call them Dark Chips."

"Dark Chips!" Netto turned to his elder sibling. "I knew it, Nii-san! There's other Dark Chips than the one we found!"

"The one you found?" Enzan appeared troubled by this new information. "Figures that you two would find yourselves in a whole other mess of trouble."

"But where are all these Dark Chips coming from?" Hub was still confused. "And who's giving them out to random NetNavies all over the net?"

"Ahem!" By now, Sean had finally managed to pry Enzan's hand from his face. He cleared his throat twice, before speaking once more. "If I may explain…"

* * *

"So. Here's how it is." All four of the boys were now back in "Sean's Headquarters"...As the boy called it. Sean made long strides across the room, making sure that he was in the direct line of sight of all of the other boys before he tapped on one of the large screens that were hung on the wall, projecting the map of Den City's cyberworld. "Ever since the virus attack from last week, there's been repeated incidents of NetNavies going berserk and attacking the net because of the use of Dark Chips." Using a laser tag, Sean proceeded to draw skull faces over some of the places on the map. "As of right now, there's been Dark Chip related attacks here… here… there… and over here-"

"Alright, we get the point." Hub sighed, trying to ignore the map that was now filled with scribbles of red skulls. "But where are these chips coming from? Ordinary Navies don't just stumble onto Dark Chips by accident. Someone had to have scattered these chips all across the cyberworld to be able to cause such damage."

"Well, you're half right." Turning his back towards the screen, Sean crossed his arms at the three other boys. "Someone's been distributing Dark Chips all throughout the cyberworld, passing them off as normal Battle Chips, but stronger. More effective in combat. Guarantee to crush all of your opponents, or you get your money back sort of deal."

"Someone's selling Dark Chips intentionally to innocent NetNavies!" Netto couldn't quite suppress his own disbelieve and anger at the notion.

"Yup! And they seem to be acting as dealers of sorts." Sean tilted his head slightly at this. "Apparently, the Navies who sell such chips are beginning to make themselves known as the Dark Chip syndicate. It's actually quite the profitable business, and I'd approve of it- But I sort of have to clean up their mess at the moment, so maybe not…"

"Enough of this nonsense." Enzan was getting impatient. "Who are these dealers? Can't you track them?"

"Track them?" Sean raised an eyebrow at the older boy. "What do you mean 'track them'?"

"I don't know." Enzan narrowed his eyes. "Perhaps you can track down the source of the Dark Chips if you can identify some form of unique energy signature in it?"

"What do you mean? You think Battle Chips have the same kind of identifying energy signature that NetNavies have?" Sean made an exaggerated expression of shock, before he laughed. "Ha! Don't be silly! Battle Chips don't have unique energy signatures!"

"Wait a minute!" It was now Hub's turn to be shocked. "But you said you would be able to track down the location of the Dark Soul by extract the dark power from the Dark Chip and using  _that_  as an energy signature!"

"Huh?" Sean just stared at Hub, as if the elder Hikari boy had lost his mind. "I never said that! ...Did I…?"

" _Yes! Yes you did!_ " Hub almost screamed at him.

"...Oh." Sean looked away, twirling his thumbs. "...Now that you mention it… I think I  _might_  have said that, yes…"

"And you mean to tell me that you were lying about that all along?!" Hub yelled, doing his best to ignore the 'I told you so' looks that his younger sibling was giving him. How were they supposed to track the Dark Soul if it couldn't be tracked through energy signatures?!

"Ah, well." Sean rubbed the back of his head. "Actually, about that-"

Then, without warning, the lights flickered briefly, before the display screen fizzled out into blackness. One of Sean's computers blared to life, signaling a warning that all of the three elder boys were familiar with.

"Someone's entered into the systems!" Netto was about to jump into action, but Sean stopped him, stepping in front of the younger Hikari twin.

"Hey! Don't be like that!" Sean berated him. "It's not nice to freak out at a welcomed visitor!"

"Welcomed visitor?" Netto didn't understand what Sean meant in the slightest- How can any intruder be considered a welcomed visitor? "What are you even-"

Then, the previously blackened screen flickered back to life, and what he saw on it successfully cut whatever else he had been about to say short.


	235. Chapter 196 (Unlikely Visitor)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey… Guess who's back?

"Oh my god…" Hub whispered as he watched the figure on the screen. "That… That can't seriously be him, can it?"

"Who else can it be?" Netto hissed back. The identity of the Navi was unmistakable, though either boys were able to piece out why this particular Navi was here.

Sean was strangely unfazed. Ignoring the Netto, Hub and Enzan's weird stares, he went back over to his office chair, sitting on it and taking his time making himself comfortable before waving at the newcomer. "Hello, Forte!"

In response, the Navi narrowed his eyes, though the action was enough to put Hub extremely on edge. Enzan took this as his chance to interject, despite his own fear. "The Black Shadow- This can't possible be a social visit. What do you want?"

"Something even you humans would have no trouble with getting me." The dark Navi didn't seem to take too kindly to Enzan's tone. Besides him, Hub almost didn't suppress the urge to shake the elder boy- They were facing one of the most ruthless and unpredictable NetNavies in the Undernet, for crying out loud! It couldn't possibly be in their best interests to provoke him!

"Oh yeah?" Netto glared back at the Navi in turn. "And what is that?"

"That Dark Chip you acquired." Forte gestured to where Sean still had the chip stored away in his laptop. "Hand it over this instant."

"You want the Dark Chip?" Netto gasped. "You can't have it! It's dangerous! It'll make you go insane if you use it!"

"Idiot!" The Navi seemed somewhat insulted by his words. "Only you would think I'm foolish enough to use a Dark Chip on myself!"

"If you don't plan on using it yourself, then what do you plan on doing with it?" Hub asked, confused and concerned. What would the Black Shadow want with such a dangerous object other than to use it for his own power?

"It is because of this boy's incompetence." The Navi drew back slightly from the display screen as his gaze now fell upon Sean. The boy had been spinning in his office chair before the dark Navi regarded him. "If you cannot track the Dark Soul through the Dark Chip, then hand it over. I'll do it myself."

"Hm." Sean's expression remained neutral. "No."

The dark Navi's eyes appeared to glow crimson with rage. " _You insolent fool._ " The other three boys all took a step back when the edges of the display screen cracked slightly from the discharge energy the Navi was giving off.

"Hey!" Sean stood up, stopping the Navi when it appeared that he was about to blow a hole through the display screen. "You already tried to blow me up once. I'm not scared of you anymore."

"If you won't give it up willingly, I'll take it myself."

"Yeah- okay, it doesn't work like that." Worried that the Black Shadow might actually attempt to break into his laptop and irreversibly damage the device, Sean unplugged the laptop from SciLab's systems immediately. "Look- I'm sorry for misleading you- Actually, you all-" Sean turned to look at the rest of the boys in the room with him, before he faced Forte once more. "But I lied, okay? Yes, you can  _technically_  extract the dark power from the Dark Chip, but the dark power itself doesn't yield any unique or trackable signature that we can trace. Understand?"

It seemed to take a moment for Sean's words to set in. "You  _deceived_  me." Forte sounded surprised.

"Wait. Hold on." Enzan stepped in. He looked at Sean. "You were contacting the Black Shadow behind everyone's backs?"

"Well- Yes and no." Sean shrugged. "If you meant contacting, as in directly initiating communication with him, then no. But if by that you meant that I might have intentionally said some rather…  _specific_  things under surveillance because I happen to know that the Black Shadow would pick up on it… Then sure! I'm totally guilty. Take me away!"

"What?" Netto was completely lost at this point. "What do you mean saying things 'under surveillance'? What the heck did you say? And how the heck did you know that this guy-" The boy motioned towards Forte, the Navi still scowling- "would be listening?"

"That's a great question!" Sean raised a finger, beaming, before pressing down a few keys on his laptop. On the display screen next to the one being occupied by the Black Shadow, an image popped up, showing some sort of small device. "You should probably take a look at this, officer Ijuuin. Doesn't it look familiar?"

"...It's a bugging program." Enzan recognized the object quickly. "It's used by cyberworld mafias to eavesdrop of their competitors."

"That's right!" Sean nodded. "And guess where I found it!"

"...!" Hub made the connection almost instantly- It had to be within SciLabs! That's the only explanation as to why Forte would have thought that the Dark Chips can be used to track down the Dark Soul! Sean had told them the exact same thing! However, something still bothered him. "But that bug could have been placed by anyone!" He said, "Anyone could have been listening in to our conversation!"

"You're right. I didn't know for certain who had placed the bug." Sean crossed his arms behind his head. "But I made an educated guess and took a gamble- Which paid off! Don't you think?"

"...Impressive." Hub nearly jumped at the new voice. "I did not expect such sophisticated observation and reasoning skills from someone of your age."

The display screen previously showing the image of the bugging device fizzled out, before showing the visual of another NetNavi.

"Shadowman!" Netto recognized this NetNavi, too! He was one of the Blue Myth's companions!

"I placed those bugs over a decade ago, and they had remained undetected thus far." The shadow Navi continued. "...Though, I am uncertain of how to feel about the notion of the adults here being less perceptive than even a mere child."

"Oh. Great. A backhanded compliment. I love those. Thank you." Sean rolled his eyes. He then clasped his hands together. "But now that everyone's here, we can finally get down to business!"

"... I don't get it." Netto mumbled, after a short pause. "What 'business' are you even talking about? And why does that involve Forte and Shadowman?"

"Because we-" Sean patted himself on his chest once- "Are going to be tracking down the whereabouts of the Dark Soul. And these guys-" He then motioned towards the two Navies on the display screens in the back. "Are going to help us!"


	236. Chapter 197

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I hate that my vocabulary isn't big enough to not have to look up words when writing Shadowman's dialogue. It makes me feel uncool.

There was an extremely long, awkward pause as both Navies and human looked at each other before anyone spoke.

"Uh, Sean…?" Hub was still looking worriedly at the two Undernet NetNavies. "I… I don't understand. Why did you go through all the trouble just to bring Forte and Shadowman here? And why would they help us locate the Dark Soul?"

"Because I asked nicely?" Sean tilted his head, blinking once. "Besides, they couldn't be tricked into thinking I could track the Dark Soul if they had no intentions of tracking the Dark Souls themselves- So that meant they must be looking for the Dark Soul, too!" He gave the two NetNavies a quick glance. "Oh. Please, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong."

"..." Surprisingly- or, unsurprisingly- neither of the Navies objected.

"Then it's settled!" Sean was beaming as he clasped his hands together. "We'll be looking for the Dark Soul together from this point onwards! I hope everyone will be a good team player and help each other out when needed- We're all in this together now, after all!"

"Wait. I still have one more question." It was Netto this time. "Why're we teaming up with them? What's stopping us from looking for the Dark Souls ourselves?"

Sean pretended to be aghast. "Hey! That's not the team spirit we're looking for!" Then, his expression changed into one of completely cheeriness once more. "But, since you're curious, that's because we're going to be going about this in teams!"

"Even though it's probably safe to assume that the dark power and the Dark Soul creating this power are both somewhere inside the Undernet, ordinary Navies can't and won't normally enter into the Undernet." Sean explained as he placed a finger against his chin. "So, that means there must be drop off points, or locations where dealers are handing out these Dark Chips to ordinary NetNavies; We'll be surveying the situation on the common net, while our Undernet friends here can check things out over in the… well, the Undernet!" Sean nodded to himself as he finished explaining. "Yup! We're doing this the old-fashioned way! Where we tediously gather all the information and location where the incidents with the Dark Chips are, then using this data to come to a logical conclusion of where they probably came from! And the best part of this is that I don't have to do any of the footwork myself to gather the information!"

"...This plan sounds sketchy at best." Enzan frowned. "I'm not sure if I want to go forward with it. There's no way to hold these two Undernet Navies accountable, should anything happen."

"I concur." Without warning, the shadow Navi had spoke, surprising everyone in the room. For a moment, the white haired boy was only slightly concerned that the Navi's ire might have been directed at him, but he was surprised once more when Shadowman glanced sideways at the Black Shadow, almost sneering as he continued. "The Black Shadow is violent and volatile. How will I know whether I will be attacked while my back is turned? I wish not to partake in this alliance."

The group let out a collective gasp, expecting the dark Navi to retaliate with wild fury. Instead, Forte's lower eyelid only twitched slightly. There was no other reaction from the Black Shadow other than his visible annoyance.

"...Uh…" Netto leaned over, whispering to his elder sibling. "What actually just happened right now…?"

"Hey! Sorry I'm late- Gosh! At least have the decency to tell me where you're going when you run off! I had to play catch up all the while searching where the both of you have gone! But I'm here now! So it's alright!" Without warning, a popup appeared on Shadowman's screen. It was swallowman. "So! What'd I miss?"

"..." Shadowman narrowed his eyes, and Forte looked away. Neither Navies said anything.

"...Oh, no." Somehow, Swallowman appeared to have pieced together what had happened just from their reactions alone. "Guys, please don't tell me you're fighting again?"

"We are not 'fighting'." Shadowman snorted at Swallowman's choice of descriptor.

"You totally are!" Swallowman clutched the sides of his head in exasperation. "Ever since the Blue Myth's gone missing! You've been giving Forts over here sass every chance you get, knowing that he can't do nothing about it!" The bird Navi sighed at this point. "C'mon Shadz! Aren't you supposed to be all practical thinking and logical reasoning? What's happened to you?"

"My mistress' whereabouts are still unaccounted for. I am stricken with grief and irrationality." Shadowman said, in the most monotone voice anyone has ever heard.

"Oh boy…" Swallowman slapped his face with his palm, before he turned to Sean. "Hey kiddo. Mind helping me catch up on what just happened?"

"No problem." The boy cracked his fingers. "I was wondering if you Undernet Navies would like to help us track down the Dark Soul by looking through the Undernet for possible locations where Dark Chips are being sold to any common net distributors."

"Oh, is that all?" The pop-up image of Swallowman disappeared for a brief moment. Then, the bird Navi reappeared, this time besides Shadowman as he flung his arm over the shadow Navi's shoulders.

"Unhand me this instant."

"Don't worry! If Shadowman doesn't want to be paired up with mister Black Shadow over there, then I'd been more than happy to be his partner!" Swallowman ignored the shadow Navi, grinning. "We'll be Team Undernet Alpha! And, uh-" At this, the bird Navi glanced briefly in Forte's direction. "...And, um, Forte over there can be Team Undernet Beta."

"Great!" Sean gave him a thumbs up. "Good to have you guys on board!"

"What're we waiting for then, Shadz?" Swallowman grinned at the shadow Navi, blatantly ignoring his annoyance. "Undernet Dark Chip mafias don't just catch themselves! Let's go!"

"...Tch."

With that, both Navies on screen logged out of the systems, presumably leaving the surface net altogether.

"Well," Sean looked back at the three other boys in the room with him. "The Undernet part of the plan's all taken care of. Do you guys have any questions about the common net part of it?"

"...Hold on." Startled, Netto took out his PET when he heard his Navi speak. "...I have a question. It's for Forte."

Although confused, Netto walked forward to stand in front of the display screen, and held out his PET so that the screen of the device was facing the Undernet Navi.

"...You don't have to answer this if you don't want to." X said, after a short pause to formulate his question. "But… I have to ask. Are you looking for the Dark Soul because of… of  _her_ …?"

There was no clarification needed. Everyone caught on to who the person X was referring to the moment he said it. Wordlessly, they stared at the Black Shadow, curious and anxious of his response.

"...Does it matter?" Forte merely narrowed his eyes at the Navi. "Keep out of my business. My motive is none of your concern."

Then, the Black Shadow disappeared as well, leaving the display screen blank as he left the area altogether.


	237. Chapter 198

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm so sorry that you guys are getting this filler chapter after two days, but I got stuck for the longest time on this part of the story. I promise the next chapter will be better. Oh my god.

"There has to be some sort of connection! I don't know what it is, but it's there! I swear! Nothing else makes any sense!"

"X, calm down." Zero sighed, rubbing his temples. Ever since his companion had confronted the Black Shadow about his motive, and the strange, dubious answer he had received in return, it was apparent that X still had trouble to just write it off as Forte's anti-socialness. "Maybe he just doesn't want to talk. Did you see the look he gave you?"

"I realized." X groaned, bringing one hand to his forehead. "Had I been logged into SciLabs' systems at that time, he would've strangled me right then and there."

"Pretty much." Zero shrugged. "Come on, X. Maybe you're looking too much into it this time. Maybe the Black Shadow isn't hiding anything. He probably just hates everyone, and you just happen to be one of them."

"I know that!" The blue Navi shook his head. "But its…! It's just that…!"

X had no idea how to say it, but there was just so many things that just didn't add up in his mind! Why was the Black Shadow also going after the Dark Soul? It couldn't possible for the Dark Chips and the power it ensues, judging from Forte's reaction when Netto had confronted the dark Navi about it, so that only left one other possibility.

"It's the Blue Myth!" X blurted out abruptly, before he can stop himself. "He wants to get to the Blue Myth! And now that the Dark Soul has kidnapped her, he's going after the Dark Soul!"

"Why?" His companion frowned. "Don't they hate each other? And even if the Black Shadow wanted her powers for himself, is it really worth going through all the effort of tracking down the Dark Soul?"

"But what if it's not because of that?" X questioned. "What if it's another reason? What if-" Then, as if attempting to explain to Zero just what he meant, the Navi turned to his companion, making sure that they were looking each other directly in the eye before he continued. "Zero. You know I care a lot for you, and if you were in danger of any kind, I would be damned if I didn't risk my own deletion to save you."

"Uh, thanks." The red Navi couldn't quite see where X's explanation was leading up to.

"What if that's what's happening? I mean- You saw what happened when Forte first confronted the Dark Soul!" X brought his two hands up, as if he was attempting to recreating the event with his weird motions somehow. Zero remembered. The Black Shadow had leapt at his lookalike in a fit of rage shortly after the Dark Soul had knocked Mega unconscious. What ensued was an almost comedic scene of Forte himself being thrown back with a single swing of the Dark Soul's hand.

"So why would he attempt to confront the Dark Soul again? There's no way Forte would neglect his sense of self-preservation for an enemy!" X concluded. "Mega has to mean something more to Forte than simply a means to more power! It doesn't make sense otherwise!"

"X…" Zero raised an eyebrow. "Are you actually trying to suggest that the Black Shadow and the Blue Myth aren't just friends, but close enough to the point that one would be willing to risk their own deletion to save the other?"

"That's the only explanation I have!" X couldn't think of any other reason Forte would be even remotely interested in pursuing the Dark Soul.

"But there could be other possibilities that don't involve the Blue Myth." As if sensing his thoughts, Zero offered up his own opinions. "Maybe Forte just wanted to get back at the Dark Soul for defeating him the first time they met? Or maybe he's turned his attention towards the Dark Soul after realizing there's a greater source for power?" The red Navi shrugged. "The Dark Soul just so happened to have taken the Blue Myth at the same time."

"Well… But…" That made X pause- What Zero had just said was definitely more reasonable, wasn't it?

"Hey guys, what're you talking about?" Before either Navies could say anything else, Netto had turned the screen of his PET back on; After their detour to the arcade and then SciLabs, Hub hadn't forgotten the fact that the two still had homework to hand in during class the next day, so his elder sibling had promptly dragged him off to do said homework before the younger could even have the chance to goof off on the internet. Judging by the younger twin being able to talk to them now, Netto must have finished his homework not long ago. "I can hear you talking before I even turned on the screen!"

"Oh…" X looked away. "We weren't talk about much-"

"X was worried that the Black Shadow might have been after the Blue Myth, and that's why he wanted to track down the Dark Soul." Zero answered, ignoring the slightly annoyed look the other Navi gave him.

"Really?" Netto grinned slightly. "X, you really care a lot about her, huh!"

"H-hey!" The Navi's face became a bright shade of red instantly.

"Actually, I've been wondering about that, too." Hub appeared on the digital image next to his younger sibling.

"Huh?" Netto gave him a look. "You have?"

"Uh-huh." Hub cupped the side of his face with his hand in thought. "I was wondering how the Blue Myth would help the Dark Soul bring about the era of darkness."

It took awhile for X to realize what Hub was referring to. "That's right! The Dark Soul did say something like that- That was why he kidnapped Mega in the first place, right?"

Hub nodded. "I was thinking whether it had something to do with Mega's powers."

"Mega's powers?" Netto tilted his head. "You mean, her ability to take on another NetNavi's appearance?"

"She doesn't only look like the Navi physically when she uses her ability." Hub reminded his younger sibling. "She also copies any of the Navi's unique ability as her own as well."

"But how would that help the Dark Soul bring an era of darkness onto the cyberworld?" X asked, confused.

In contrast, Zero appeared to have made the connection instantly. "What if she takes on the abilities of the Dark Soul?"

"That's-" X blanched. Briefly, he imagined Mega being surrounded by the same dark energy they had seen in the Battle Chip arena- If a normal Navi could cause that much damage with just a does of that dark power, then what would happened if Mega happened to adopt the ability of the Dark Soul? "Mega won't do something like that!" X argued. "Besides- She can only do so with other NetNavies, right? And as far as we're concerned, the Dark Soul isn't a NetNavi himself- He's only taken on Forte's appearance! That's all!"

"We don't know how Mega's ability works; It might only just work on NetNavies. It might not." Hub frowned, visibly concerned. "We can't assume anything about her powers right now."

"And even if we assume she wouldn't want to help the Dark Soul by using his powers to purge the cyberworld into darkness, there's always the possibility that she might be forced into it." Zero added. "She's kind of an abductee right now."

"Are you kidding me?" Netto appeared to have finally understood what his elder sibling was hinting at. "So that's what the Dark Soul meant when he said Mega would help him bring about an era of darkness?"

"There's no way we can let that happen!" X clenched both his fists. The Navi hadn't realized what was at stake until just now. "We'll get to the bottom of this- We'll find the Dark Soul and stop him before he has the chance to do any of this!"


	238. Chapter 199

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Legit having the worst time writing. Can't seem to get the words out for some reason. Also, happy Chinese New Year! My mom made spring rolls. They were delicious.

"Those Navies appear to be getting themselves involved in your plans."

"Of course they are." Shademan grumbled, rubbing the side of his head in frustrated annoyance. It had been a little more than a week since he began flooding the common net with Dark Chips, allowing them to be picked up and consumed by the surface Navies. For now, the Dark Soul appeared entertained enough, watching through the live footages of

NetNavies losing themselves to the dark power, going insane with overwhelming rage before turning around and attacking their friends or family.

But, if the meddling Navies in question were to somehow find a way to halt his efforts to hurl the common net into chaos… Well, if that were to happen, Shademan wasn't sure how long he would be able to retain his master's amusement. He was, however, certain that he wouldn't want to be subjected to the Dark Soul's ire afterwards.

He frowned, and tapped his chin in thought. Though he had hoped the Dark Soul would open the gates towards the dark net sooner rather than later, he couldn't possibly hope to force the Dark Soul to do anything it didn't want to- He would be obliterated in an instant! No, it was much better for his health and wellbeing that he kept his master entertained, until the Dark Soul felt it time to release the other Dark Souls into the common net. Which meant that he now had to deal with the problem of Navies poking around where they shouldn't be, discreetly, without raising the Dark Soul's suspicion that anything was amiss.

Shademan hissed at the thought. If only he could just swoop in and delete those annoying NetNavies all at once! It would definitely save him the trouble of having to work around them, and might even prevent some… unforeseen complications that might affect their plans in the very near future. Yet, the Dark Soul appeared strangely affixed to the intruding fools; Not just the Black Shadow, or the Blue Myth, but even the common net Navies that sometimes accompanied them. His master had made it painfully clear that if the idiots were to perish, it would have to be done with extravagance, by his own hands. Shademan wasn't too sure why and what that had meant. Perhaps the Dark Soul wanted them to suffer, for whatever reason, but as far as he himself was concerned, that meant no finding them and deleting them instantly, regardless of how much he wanted to.

Hmm… What to do, what to do…?

"Distract them."

"...Excuse me?" Plantman raised an eyebrow, having been the one to bring up the issue with X and Zero, and not expecting such a nonchalant answer in response.

"Did you not hear me the first time?" The bat Navi sneered at him. "I said distract them. Send viruses after them. Give them false leads. Just don't delete them… Yet."

"Wheen? That doesn't make any sense!" Drillman stepped up, visibly irked.

Shademan merely glanced at him. "I don't suppose there's something  _you'd_  like to say?"

"Heck yeah, there is!" Drillman made some sort of annoyed whirring sound as he spoke. "We should just delete them! They'll keep coming back unless we do something about them! I say, we rid of them, and save ourselves the trouble!"

Shademan hissed. "I don't need to explain myself to you buffoons!" Unfolding his wings, the bat Navi lifted himself off from the ground, raising his own form above the that of the revived NetNavies. His gaze fell upon Drillman. "Since you're so determined to run that mouth of yours, why don't  _you_  do the honors? Get them off our trail long enough to open the gates to the deep net- I'm sure you don't need any reminders of what's to befall you if you fail."

Then, without waiting for the drill Navi's response, Shademan flapped his wings once, and disappeared in a combination of mist and bats. Drillman turned to the two remaining Navies. Desertman said nothing as he silently slipped back into the sand, while Plantman just shrugged before leaving the area altogether.

"Wheen… Oh, I won't fail…" Drillman was mumbling to himself. "In fact, I'll do you one better than just distracting them… Whee-heen!"

* * *

"Finally- I've waited forever for the weekend!"

"I hope you don't think that means you get to slack off on your homework." Hub was slightly amused as he watched his younger sibling stretch. The two were currently on their way home from school.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll do all my homework before we go back to school on Monday- But not this afternoon or tonight!" Netto grinned at him. "I wanna go on the net when we get back home!"

"Alright, fine. We can go onto the Internet City when we get home." Hub nodded. His younger sibling earned that much. Besides, Hub himself didn't quite want to dive straight into homework just yet. Not when it's just the beginning of the weekend. "But after that it's straight to work! You can't get into trouble again for forgetting your homework!"

"You make it sound like I can get away with it so easily!" The younger of the two then looked away, pouting. "It's not like  _you_  would let me forget about it…"

"What was that?" Hub hadn't managed to catch onto what Netto had whispered at the end.

"I said, we can go check out Higgory-san's chip shop?" Netto turned back, replying smoothly. "He usually has new Battle Chips on stock every other week!"

"Oh!" Hub blinked. That's right! Netto was a lot better at keeping track of these things than he was. "Sure! We can totally check it out once we get home!"

"Great!" Netto took his elder sibling's wrist as he walked faster. "What are we waiting for, then? Let's go!"


	239. 200 Special (Part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Alright guys. Originally, I wanted to have all of the alt chapters as one giant chapter as the 200 chapter special for you guys, but I figured it was taking too long, so you're going to be getting this in parts. The 200 chapter special will be a three parter- and with that being said, I hope you all enjoy part one!

**Chapter 39.5; Zero fights Shadowman.**

"Alright then!" Drawing his sword, Zero leapt directly at the strange Navi. "Eat this!"

It was obvious that the red Navi either expected his attack to hit its mark, or the other Navi to parry with his own attack. What Zero didn't expect, however, was for the Navi's form to disappear completely into a puff of smoke the moment his sword connected with the Navi's form. He recoiled back in shock. "Where'd he-"

Then, he felt a force knock him backwards long before he could finish. Zero reeled as he was thrown across the floor, struggling to get back onto his feet. It took him several moments just to register the fact that the other Navi had disappeared and quickly reappeared in front of him, dodging his attack and landing a swift kick to his abdomen, throwing him backwards. "How'd he do that?!"

"I don't know!" Hub couldn't even see the NetNavi move! Was it possible that he was that quick? Perhaps there was a way they could catch up to the Navi in speed?

"Maybe this will work!" Hub took out a chip. "Area Steal!"

Zero vanished the moment he received the chip data, reappearing almost instantly in front of the unknown Navi with his weapon raised, hoping that it would be enough to catch the Navi off guard. "I've got you this time!"

Yet, as he brought his sword down, he almost didn't manage to suppress a gasp of surprise as his weapon  _passed through_  the Navi's form. "What?!"

The Navi merely eyed him, ignoring his apparent disbelief. "...Attacks of this caliber won't work on me." Then, he whispered something underneath his breath. Before Zero could react, two identical copies of the NetNavi appeared from out of thin air, manifesting themselves besides the unknown Navi himself.

"What the heck?" Zero's eyes widened. He'd never seen anything like it before.

"As I said." The three separate forms of the Navi spoke as one. "I do not wish to hurt you. But if you insist on this confrontation, I have no other choice but to defend myself."

"Like hell I'll believe that!" Zero grit his teeth, trying not to let his growing unease bother him. He charged directly at the Navi in the center, believing it to be the real form of the NetNavi. "Eat this!" As his sword sliced through the Navi, however, he was met with another puff of smoke. "Damn it!"

"I admire your valiance." The two remaining images of the NetNavi moved at once, both unsheathing their sword as they lunged at Zero, the red Navi panicked and confused- He couldn't tell which was the real NetNavi! Making a split second decision, Zero attempted to dodge to the left, where he assumed the copy was approaching him. The image raised his sword, before striking Zero with the hilt, knocking him to the side.

"Shit!" Zero hissed, clutching his head as he stumbled. Realizing that that figure was the actual form of the Navi, Zero spun around, swinging his sword wildly in an attempt to strike the Navi down, though  _this_  time, the Navi disappeared into another puff of smoke as he was struck.

"Another fake?!" Zero couldn't help but yell. He was getting desperate that all of his attempts to damage his opponent thus far have all failed.

"This guy's like an actual ninja…!" Hub was getting nervous as well- How are they going to defeat an opponent they couldn't even touch? Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something rapidly approaching. "Zero! Watch out!"

"What?" His NetNavi turned around, just in time to see a giant shuriken being hurled directly towards him. Zero wanted to duck, but he was unable to move in time as he was struck, and pinned against a wall as the weapon lodged itself into a datacube. Zero cursed when he realized he was stuck.

"Alas- You will not be able to defeat me, as you are." The strange Navi reappeared once more, stepping in front of Zero.

"Ugh- Just what it is that you're after?" Now that he'd been rendered immobile, all Zero could think of was to stall for time by talking until he could get the shuriken loose.

"I have told you already." The Naiv gave him a look. "I do not seek to do anything but to follow the wishes of that of my Mistress."

"You keep mentioning this Mistress of yours, but who is she?" Hub narrowed his eyes. "And what does she want with Netto and X?"

"It is not my place to question my Mistress." The Navi merely said, still avoiding their questions. "But if it is of any comfort, my Mistress does not mean any harm to you or your sibling." The strange Navi appeared to hesitate for a moment, before continuing. "In fact, I would even say that the both of you have a special place in my Mistress' eyes."

"What?" Hub wasn't sure how to feel about that revelation- Gaining the attention of someone he knew nothing about made him extremely uneasy. "What do you mean?"

"Hm." For a moment, it appeared as if the strange Navi was about to say something, but then, he blinked, looking away. Zero followed his gaze to see that it was directed at the control panel of the training room X and Netto were still in.

"That is enough for now." The Navi said as he walked over to the panel, placing a hand on it, one of the lights on the panel flashing briefly as he did so. He must have sent a signal of some sort! "My Mistress is expecting my return."

"W-wait!" Zero finally managed to dislodge the giant shuriken keeping him pinned as the Navi disappeared from the area. He jumped to his feet, barely suppressing a yell of anger. "Damn it! He got away!"

"That's not important right now!" Hub quickly reminded his Navi. "Zero! You have to check on the control panel! Who knows what he just did to it!"

His Navi blinked. "You're right!" He ran over to where the control panel still was, squinting as he looked for signs of tampering. "...That's weird."

"What's weird?"

"I don't see anything wrong with the system itself!" Zero explained, frowning. "Could it be-"

Then, the door to the training room slid open, cutting the Navi off mid-sentence. Hub turned towards the door, though the moment he did, someone else ran into him. "Owch!"

"Netto-kun!" Hub recognized the person to be his younger sibling instantly. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, Nii-san!" Oblivious to his concern, Nett took a second to steady himself. "I'm heading over to the finals now! Remember to cheer me on, okay?"

"Netto! W-wait!" Hub attempted to stop his younger sibling as he ran down the hallway, but it was too late. Netto was already nowhere to be seen. Hub just shook his head, sighing quietly to himself.

"That Navi… disappeared suddenly just like that…" He mumbled. "And we still don't know what he's after, and what happened inside when we were locked out…"

"That's true, but the important thing is that Netto was unharmed." Zero said from his PET. "He appeared fine when he exited the room. As for what had happened, we could always ask him after their match."

"Yeah. I suppose you're right." Hub agreed. "Alright, we'll do just that."

* * *

**Alternative chapters 49~50; Swallowman confronts Rockman instead of Shadowman.**

"X!" Zero screamed when he saw that Swallowman had the blue Navi in a tight grip, preventing him from moving or escaping.

"What's the matter?" Swallowman smiled, feigning innocence. "Aren't you going to attack me? I'm standing right here!"

"...!" The red Navi just stood there, unable to move- He couldn't attack the bird Navi! Not when it meant putting his friend in potential danger!

"Tch. How disappointing." Swallowman said with mock disappointment, sensing Zero's hesitance. Then, his expression quickly turned wicked. Spreading his wings, the bird Navi shot up into the air, all the while holding X up by his neck. Zero's eyes widened. "X!"

"Say goodbye to your little friend!" Swallowman raised his hand, fully preparing to fling the blue Navi onto the ground below. However, the bird Navi tensed and paused mid-motion- There was a flicker of surprise, then quickly followed by annoyance in his eyes. "Well, I'll be damned."

Then, his grip on X's throat loosened, and the Navi screamed as he was dropped. Zero dashed over, barely managing to catch his companion before he could hit the ground. Both Navies crashed onto the floor from the impact. "X! Are you alright?"

"I'll live." X wheezed, rubbing his neck. He allowed the other Navi to help him up.

"I'm sorry kiddos, but something important just came up." Swallowman was now looking at the two Navies with disinterest. "Now, be good and run along home, alright? I would hate to have to off the both of you just because you decide to stick your nose where it doesn't belong." The bird Navi ended his speech with a smirk, before he flew back into the warp portal where the viruses were being sent from, the portal disappearing shortly after.

"Wh… What was that all about?" Zero was suspicious; It wasn't as if they had the NetNavi on the run, so why was he leaving all of a sudden?

"I don't know." X frowned, confused as well. "But somehow, I just have a bad feeling about this…"

* * *

"Doctor Hikari."

The scientist jumped in surprise. He turned his head the best he could, but there was no one behind him.

"Don't worry- He can't hear us." The voice continued. "I've cut off communication from this room to the observation deck. He should be too busy to notice for a while, anyways."

"Who- who're you?" The scientist was still very much shocked; SciLabs was completely taken over by WWW. It was very unlikely that someone from the outside could access the computer systems within SciLabs at this point.

"That… That's not important right now. But I'm here to help put a stop to WWW's plans."

"Huh. And I suppose I don't have any proof of that other than your word?" Yuichiro asked, slightly skeptical.

"I'm afraid not, doctor Hikari." The voice seemed almost apologetic. "But if I were with WWW, I wouldn't be talking to you right now."

"...I suppose you're right about that." Yuichiro allowed himself a small smile.

"Doctor Hikari, can you tell me more about the programme doctor Wily was talking about?" The voice prompted him.

"You heard that?" The scientist frowned, trying to find a way to convey as much information with as little time as possible. "He's talking about a programme called the "Dream Aura", an aura that can withstand any attack. It makes its user virtually invincible." Doctor Hikair paused slightly at that. "But…"

"But?"

Yuichiro sighed. "Normally, I would say that the programme is imperfect; the four elemental programmes were not designed with being combined with each other in mind… But from what I managed to see from here, I'm afraid he's actually managed to circumvent the flaw within the programmes."

"The flaw…?"

"If the flaw inside the programme were still there, it could very much be exploited." Yuichiro concluded. "But as it stands now, I fear we may be truly finished."

"...I understand." The voice appeared to be considering something. "Don't worry, doctor Hikair. I have to log out of the servers now before I'm discovered, but I'll make sure the Net Police receives this information-"

Then, the voice appeared be interrupted by a gasp, the sounds of struggling following quickly after before the transmision cut off entirely, leaving the room silent.

"H-hey!" Though he didn't know what had happened to the person on the other side of the conversation, the doctor was understandably concerned. "What happened? Are you alright?"

What followed was more silence.

* * *

"Well hello there, beautiful…"

Rockman winced and attempted to pry the arm that was around his neck off, but to no avail- Idiot! He'd let himself get distracted and he was going to have to find a way to get himself out of this situation! Quietly, he sent a quick ping to Shadowman; Hopefully, the shadow Navi wasn't too busy right now to notice. He  _had_  asked Shadowman to pick up something from the Undernet for him before he went ahead into SciLabs' systems alone…

"Y'know, that old doctor had suspected that you'd come." The Navi continued, and Rockman attempted to jerk away in discomfort. The Navi's face was too close to his for his liking. "Said something about you being attracted to disasters and that you couldn't stay away from one. Now, granted- I was somewhat on the fence with his idea. But what I had never expected…" At this, Rockman grimaced as the Navi raised a hand to cup his cheek. He jerked his head to the side, attempting to dislodge the offending hand. "...That you're actually a little heroine. You want to save the world from the evil, mad scientist that's attempting to destroy it. Is that why you're here, doll?"

"Let go of me." Rockman said, attempting to keep his voice calm. He didn't like his current situation in the slightest.

"Ah, ah." Swallowman just gripped him tighter when he attempted to struggle. "Now, there's no need to fret- I'm not going to hurt a cute gal like yourself… But at the same time-" The Navi grinned slyly. "-WWW  _did_  pay me a hefty sum to make sure their plans run smoothly. And I can't have you running around trying to ruin things for my employer now, can I?"

Rockman gasped when the Navi spread his wings, bringing both of them into the air. "Wh-what're you doing?"

"Easy there." The Navi just whispered, much too intimately for Rockman's liking. "Don't worry- I'm just taking you someplace where you can't interfere with our plans…"

Rockman squirmed and kicked his feet, still trying to pry the arm off of him. The Navi was still smirking, but his expression abruptly shifted, twisting into a mixture of shock and pain as he yelled, incidentally releasing his hold on the blue Navi. Before Rockman could attempt to catch himself through levitation, someone else had caught him,first. It took him a moment to recognize the Navi who was now holding him. "Shadowman!"

As the shadow Navi landed, he quickly set Rockman on the floor besides him. "Mistress." Shadowman regarded him carefully. The Navi actually appeared visibly concerned. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Rokman quickly reassured the Navi. There were other, more immediate things that they needed to take care of at the moment. Such as the bird Navi still in the area with them.

"...Tch." Looking to where the voice had come from, Rockman noticed that the Navi had just managed to pull the shuriken lodged into his wings off- Shadowman must have ambused the Navi while he wasn't looking. "You know. I had suspected that you were subservient to someone, but I never thought it would be the fabled Blue Myth herself!" The Navi was directly at Shadowman as he said this.

The shadow Navi merely narrowed his eyes. After making certain that Rockman was indeed unharmed, he stepped in front of the blue Navi, unsheathing his weapon. "I shall take care of this Navi, Mistress."

"Shadowman?" Rockman didn't doubt Shadowman's abilities in battle- He knew just what the shadow Navi was capable of, but he was still concerned with leaving the Navi behind as any friend would be. "Are you sure?"

Shadowman gave him a curt nod, before he tossed something in Rockman's direction, the blue Navi barely managing to catch it. The thing in his palm squirmed and chipred, and Rockman noted, a bit belatedly, that it was the form of a dazed virus- It appeared upset, but seemed relatively unharmed aside from that.

"It is what you requested to be retrieved from the Undernet." With that, shadowman turned back to the other Navi. "I will be fine... He and I have a score to settle."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N2: Next up; alt chapters for chapter 61 and 90.


	240. 200 Chapter Special (Part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay so I lied the 200 chapter special will be in 4 parts.

**Alternative chapter 61~64; Zero endangered instead of X.**

Swallowman had ducked underneath Zero's attack as the sword was swung at him. In a fell swoop, he knocked the red Navi onto the ground before he could have the chance to react.

"Zero!" X raised his buster at the bird Navi, alarmed.

"Ah-ah." Swallowman slammed one of his feet down onto the red Navi, successfully knocking all the air out of his lungs just as X was about to fire his shot. "What do you want to bet is quicker? Your shot hitting me or me crushing your friend's neck?" Then, the bird Naiv appeared to consider his own question, tilting his head as he blinked once. "...Actually, I have no idea which would be faster, so perhaps you should just go ahead and shoot me anyways."

X kept his buster aimed at the bird Navi, but he knew better than to take chances. "You let him go right now!"

"Oh? Are you going to shoot me now?" Raising one hand, Swallowman formed it into a sword. "Go ahead, then!"

"No!" X watched in horror as Swallowman brought his sword down. His reasoning had left him, and the blue Navi dashed forward in an irrational attempt to stop his friend from being deleted. Though, before the sword could even graze Zero, something happened. A bright light filled the entire area, and Swallowman was forced to shield his eyes with his hand to avoid being blinded.

"What the heck was that?!"

As the light began to dim, the bird Navi turned to its source, and was he saw stunned him completely.

"What the fu-"

There was a loud explosion, before the entire area was brought down in an instant.

* * *

"Mistress, I sense a faint energy signal ahead."

"I guess that means we're getting close."

"I recognize it." Shadowman continued. "It's Rockman Zero's unique energy signature."

"Zero?" Rockman looked at the other Navi. "What about X?" The two Navies, much like their operators, were never found apart from each other.

"I cannot pick up Rockman Xs signature." Shadowman replied, narrowing his eyes. "It would appear Rockman Zero is alone up ahead."

That worried the blue Navi greatly. "Maybe they'd gotten separated…" Then, a sudden thought occurred to him. "Could it have been something to do with whatever had attacked Swallowman?"

"It's very possible." The shadow Navi drew his sword as they neared the end of the corridor. "I shall proceed with caution."

As the two Navies entered the open area, Rockman gasped at the sight; The place looked completely destroyed, with piles of rubble and broken data everywhere.

"We have to find Zero quickly." Rockman said. "He might be hurt."

Shadowman nodded, before he went over to a small pile of debris in the area. "He's over here."

The two Navies began to dig through the pile of rubble. It wasn't long before Shadowman managed to drag the Navi out from underneath the rubble.

"Zero!" Rockman touched the Navi's shoulder- Zero was unconscious, but he didn't appear to have sustained any wounds that were life-threatening. "Zero- Wake up!"

"Ugh…" The Navi coughed, before his eyes flicked open. "Wh-what…?"

"Zero!" Rockman smiled. "You're alright!"

The red Navi appeared to squint, as if he didn't recognize either Rockman or Shadowman, before his eyes snapped wide open in realization. "It's you!" The Navi jumped back slightly.

Rockman tried not to sigh; Zero's reaction was understandable, after all. For all the other Navi knew, he was supposedly one of the most dangerous NetNavies in the Undernet. He probably wouldn't have trusted himself, too, if he was in Zero's situation. "Zero, what happened?" Rockman asked, trying his best to come across as genuine. "The Internet City was being attacked by viruses when a sudden quake shot throughout the city- We followed the commotion here, but we only found you."

"A commotion?" Zero frowned, attempting to recall what had happened. "...It has to be from that machine that was creating all of those viruses. X and I had tracked them all here, and we were-" The Navi then paused abruptly, and gasped. "X! He was with me just a moment ago! Where is he now?"

"I don't know." Rockman admitted. "I was hoping that you would know- We only found you here."

"Damn it! Something must have happened to X!" Zero cursed. "That Swallowman had been about to delete me- But then there was this bright light and… Ugh! I don't remember anything after that!"

Zero's recount of his story caught Rockman's attention. He tensed.  _'It- It can't be what I think it is! ...Can it?'_

"Ah! Forget it- That's not important right now!" Zero shook his head, trying to clear his own thoughts. "What's important now is that I have to find X! He could be in danger!"

"Wait!"Rockman grabbed the red Navi by his wrist as he attempted to walk past. "Hold on- There's something I need you to clarify."

"What is it?" Zero asked him, and Rockman tried to ignore the suspicion in his voice.

"Do you think it's possible that X might have triggered style change when the two of you were attacked?"

"I-" The red Navi had been about to answer, before he realized something. "Wait, you know about style change?" The surprise was apparent in his voice. There was a brief pause. Then, in a more concerned tone, he continued. "...How did you know about that? And how did you even know X was capable of style change?"

"Zero, the ability of style change is common knowledge among many Undernet citizens, even though we refer to it as the legendary power instead." Rockman sighed. "And you and X weren't being discreet when you two obliterated the temple where the legendary power was being held- The entire Undernet had felt it."

"...Is that so?" There was still a hint of skepticism in Zero's voice. "But why would you want to know?"

"Zero. Let me ask you something." Rockman said. He knew that the other Navi was suspicious of him, but this was important, and he needed Zero to realize that. "Do you recall anything from when you first gained the ability to style change?"

"Why?"

"Just answer the question, please."

"...Fine. I don't really remember much." Despite his reluctance to admit it, Zero still answered anyways. "All I recall was this bright light. When I came to, everything around was in ruins. I don't know what happened."

"Okay." Rockman nodded. "Then I'll ask again- Do you think it's possible that X might have triggered style change when the two of you were attacked?"

"I don't understand. Why are you…" Zero trailed off mid-sentence, and Rockman watched as the Navi formed the conclusion in his mind.

"Shit." Zero snapped back to awareness. "X might have no idea where he is, or what he's doing right now!"

Rockman nodded. "We need to track him down- He might accidentally hurt himself or anyone surrounding him, especially with something as powerful as style change."

"-ero! Zero!" Before either Navi could say anything else, a holographic image sprang to life next to Zero. It was Hub. "Zero! Thank goodness you're alright! I've been trying to get through to you for the past ten minutes!"

"I'm okay- There's not need to worry about me!" Zero quickly jumped straight to the point after reassuring his operator. "But X has gone missing- Do you think Netto can track X through his PET?"

"What? X went missing?" Hub's voice appeared to shake slightly as he spoke. "That… That's not good…"

"Hub?" Rockman caught onto the boy's distress quickly. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh- It's you…" Hub recognized him rather quickly. "I… I don't know what to say… I know you've helped us more than once at this point… But still…"

"Please, tell me what happened." Rockman pressed, but remembering to keep his voice gentle. "I just want to help."

"...It's Netto…" Hub's voice was so soft that he almost didn't catch it. "I don't know what happened- He was fine one moment! And the next he just passed out!"

Zero just barely managed to bite back a curse- It was bad enough at it is that his companion was unaccounted for. Now, it was very possible that his operator's sibling was in danger as well!

"...Zero. Hub. I think I know what's happening." Rockman looked in between the NetNavi and his operator, before continuing. "Netto… Netto's not unconscious. But his mind has been sent to the cyberworld."

"What?" Hub was confused and distraught. "What do you mean?"

"Hub, you already know that Program Advance requires the full synchronization of a NetNavi and his operator, where their thoughts and emotions become one." Rockman explained. "Style Change works in a similar way, but instead of FullSyncro, it's a Perfect Synchronization which triggers a NetNavi's Style Change."

"There's more than just a Full Syncro?" It was Zero's turn to be baffled.

"There is." Rockman nodded. "While PerfectSyncro is similar to FullSyncro in which Navi and operators share the same thoughts and will, PerfectSyncro differs in the way that the operator's consciousness is transferred into the Cyberworld, allowing the Navi and operator to share the same consciousness." Rockman paused briefly, allowing Zero and Hub time to take in what he'd just said. "...If I had to guess, when Zero was about to be deleted, Netto and X might have accidentally triggered PerfectSyncro, which had allowed X to Style Change."

"So that's what happened?" It was clear that Hub still hd trouble wrapping his mind around the idea that his younger sibling's mind had basically been sent into the cyberworld. "But, if that's the case- Then where are Netto and X right now?"

Before Rockman could answer, a sudden tremble shook the entire area, nearly knocking the three Navies over.

"...Mistress. I believe we may have found them." Shadowman looked at Rockman, his tone somewhat concerned.

"Them?" Hub asked. "You mean Netto and X?"

"We need to stop them before they could accidentally hurt themselves, or anyone else!" Rockman quickly motioned for Zero to follow as he ran ahead. "Come on- We don't have much time! I'll explain the rest along the way!"

* * *

"X! Stop this right now!"

The Navi whipped around, and Rockman couldn't help but tense as X's gaze fell upon him. Somehow, the Navi's look managed to make him uneasy while seeming vacant at the same time.

"You don't want any of this!" Rockman continued, "Snap out of it, X!"

The Navi continued to remain silent, but not motionless. Raising one of his hands, X had formed it into a giant cannon and fired at shot at the blue Navi- Rockman had just barely managed to react in time to deflect the energy shot sideways. The blast crashed into a nearby structure, bringing the entire thing down in an instant and reducing it to nothing more than a pile of broken data.

"X!" Rockman tried again. "Please- Stop this!"

His words got no reaction out of the other Navi other than a renewed attempt to blast him to pieces; Bringing both hands together, Rockman could see that X was preparing for a fully charged shot, and with his powers now amplified exponentially through style change…

Rockman took a deep breathe, steadying himself.  _'I hope this works…'_

X yelled and unleashed his attack once the energy had reached its peak, and a large beam of concentrated energy shot itself towards Rockman. Sidestepping out of the way of the shot's direct line of fire, Rockman focused his energy on reflecting the shot- As expected, he felt a great deal of resistance just from the sheer force behind the attack, but with a final nudge, Rockman managed to send the entire thing hurdling back at the X. The blast collided into X, knocking him back full force as the Navi had clearly not expected such a turn of events. He was flung backwards, colliding into a nearby building, causing nearly half of it to collapse in his wake.

Rockman sighed, though his relief was short lived; X had sprung back from the attack just fine, emerging from the rubble with nothing more than a few dents in his armour, though the Navi appeared more visibly irritable than he had just been moments prior.

Rockman narrowed his eyes. He really didn't want to do this, but it was the quickest way to exert all of X's energy without causing any unnecessary collateral damage. As he mentally prepared himself for another barrage of attacks, the blue Navi was surprised when another figure had stepped in front of him, placing itself directly in between him and the now crazed X.

"Z-Zero?!" Rockman's eyes widened. "What are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Zero turned the question on him as he summoned his sword. "I'm going to make him come to his senses by beating them into him!"

"He can't recognize you right now, Zero!" Rockman wasn't sure whether he should admire the red Navi's courage, or scream at him for his recklessness. "Just think about what you're doing! What if he accidentally hurts or deletes you? How do you think he'll feel when he realizes that?!"

"...It's my fault that he's gotten himself into this situation to begin with." Zero murmured softly. "And I'll be damned if I don't do anything about it!"

"Zero!" Rockman attempted to stop the Navi as he rushed towards X with his sword raised, but it was too late- at the same time, X had unleashed a second fully charged shot directly at them.


	241. 200 Special (Part 3)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm screaming. I just finished a presentation and I have two things to hand in this weekend. Why. I regret all my life decisions. Please end me.

**Alternative chapter 90~91; Gospel still in hidden base.  
**

"What…?"

Blues took a step back. Giant claw marks were littered throughout the area. The walls and floor panels were completely torn up, and some of the server and system programmes had been shredded into pieces as well. Blues' first instinct was to think that this sort of damage might have been caused by a virus of sorts, but another glance at the markings told him otherwise.

There was no virus of that size that the Navi knew of which could leave claw marks of that size and scale.

"...We'll look into that later, Blues." Enzan witness the destruction through the screen of his PET as well, but was the first to recover. "Right now, let's see if we can salvage anything from that data-logging programme."

"On it."

Magnetman wheezed as he fell to the ground, clutching the large wound where Blues' sword had sliced through him. "Th-that… That was my perfect attack…!" He coughed, reeling in shock and pain. "How did you…"

Instead of answering, Blues turned his head, a light scowl forming on his face. "...You grow more obnoxious each time we meet."

"I know." The voice surprised Magnetman, and it was only then that he noticed the silhouette of a hooded figure, standing behind the Net Police Officer. "You're going to say that you had this all under control, right?"

Magnetman's eyes widened. He'd finally caught on to what had just happened; While Blues had aimed his attack directly at him, someone else had come from behind and took out his clone. That other person being none other than…

"The Blue Myth…" Through his pain, the Gospel Navi managed to grit out, a weird smirk on his face. "What an… unexpected visitor…"

"Enough." Blues cut him off, walking closer to the downed Navi. "You're hereby under arrest on the suspicion of dealing with illegal activities!"

"...Heh." For some reason, Magnetman grinned, as if he hadn't heard a single word that Blues had just said. "I wouldn't be so certain about that, if I were you."

Blues frowned. The Navi was acting rather suspiciously, and Blues had half a mind to call him out on his bluff. Just as he took a step forward, the Navi behind him gasped.

"Blues! Watch out!"

Before he could even ask what the problem was this time, the Blue Myth had grabbed him by the arm and pulled him backwards. At the instant, the ceiling before them collapsed, sending dust and smoke flying everywhere. Blues bit back a curse as he attempted to fan the dust away, and the Navi quickly took note of a strange creature that was creeping amidst the wreckage.

"What in the world…"

As the dust settled, Magnetman was no longer anywhere to be seen. Instead, taking up the center of the confined room, was a large, digital beast with gleaming red eyes. It was by no means a giant, but it was still substantially larger than any virus Blues had seen before. The beast seemed to growl as it turned its head towards the two remaining Navies in the area.

"That's Gospel!" He heard the Blue Myth gasp.

The beast snarled, then leapt at them. Once more, much to Blues' annoyance, he was dragged airborne, dangling from the other Navi's hands as the digital beast narrowly missed him with its fangs. The beast let out something in between a yelp and a screech as it collided into a wall, smashing a giant crater into it.

"'That's Gospel'?" Looking back at the Blue Myth, Blues raised a questioning eyebrow at her.

"I- I've been following what Gospel's been doing for a while." The Navi quickly explained. "And that's one of their creations, Gospel."

"They named that thing after their organization. Of course." It was so painfully narcissistic.

There was a roar coming from below them. The digital beast had dislodged itself from the dent it had created in the wall. The beast appeared to be rearing up for another lunge. Blues frowned. "Any idea how to destroy this thing?"

"...Don't give it the chance to absorb anything." The blue Myth said, after a brief pause. She set the two of them down onto the floor, furthest away from the Gospel besat. "It's made entirely out of bug fragments- If you let it break down and corrupt any data into bug fragments, it'll use it to repair itself. Be careful."

"So, the plan is to strike it down hard and fast, then." Blues nodded. Even without knowing that the digital beast would be able to regenerate itself through absorbing data, he would be hesitant to let such a beast near him without making certain that it was at least, in some way, crippled.

"Right!" Then, the Blue Myth smiled at him. "You got this covered, right?"

"...What?" Blues looked at her. "What are you-"

_Growl!_

"Shit!" Raising one hand, the red Navi just barely managed to summon his sword in time as the Gospel beast lunged towards him once more, its jaw closing around his weapon, gnawing at it with an unsettling creaking sound. Blues did his best to glare at the other Navi who had conveniently stepped aside, avoiding Gospel's attack. "What's your deal?!"

"It's alright! Just keep it occupied!" The Blue Myth was still grinning. "I've got you covered!"

"Are you kidding me?!" Blues wasn't going to admit that he was beginning to panic.

"Relax!" The Navi raised her hand, and began charging her buster. "I'll back you up! Just do your thing!"

With a blast, the Gospel beast yelped as it was thrown back slightly by the energy shot, though its crimson eyes were still gleaming with the intent to tear the two Navies in front of it to shreds.

"Now's our chance!" The undernet Navi urged him. Blues hadn't needed the reminder. Even without her prompter, Blues knew that he couldn't let the digital beast have another chance to attack them. Going on the offensive, he leapt forward and sung his sword, slicing one of the spines off the beast's back. Howling in rage, Gospel retaliated. One of its giant paws became dislodge from its front legs and shot towards the net police officer, catching him off guard.

"Not so fast!" Another shot was fired from the Blue Myth's buster, knocking the beast's claw out of the air. She appeared to grin at Blues when he turned to glance at her.

"What are you waiting for? It's open for attack!"

"Shut up!" It was childish of him to begin arguing with the other Navi, especially when there was literally a digital beast in the same room as they were, but somehow Blues just couldn't help himself. The Blue Myth was just in equal parts annoying, helpful and infuriating that the red Navi found his usual calmness deteriorating quicker than he thought possible. "Stop pestering me!"

"I'm really not!" He heard the Navi yell back. "I'm just trying to help!"

Blues scowled as he took another swing at the Gospel beast, this time cutting a wound in the beat's side. Gospel snarled, turning to leap at him, but its attempt was once again stopped by a well-timed energy blast to its face as it opened its jaw. The beast yelped and shrunk back in shock instantly.

"We've got him! Just keep it up!"

Blues did his best to ignore the undernet Navi and just focus on pummeling the digital beast in front of him; The thing didn't go down easy. It's skin was as tough as armoured steel, and everytime he got close or managed to strike the Gospel beast, it would retaliate with one of its own attacks-

-At least, it would try to. All of its attempts at retaliation were effectively stunted by a precisely aimed shot by the Blue Myth. There was no hesitation or uncertainty in her motions, but swift and practised movements that gave him opening after opening to strike the beast before it even had the chance to recover.

It was like some strange form of synergy. Blues knew that he worked best alone, but somehow, the Blue Myth was able to accomodate his fighting style into her own. It was almost as if they weren't enemies or something-

Just as quickly as the thought crossed his mind, Blues scowled and just as swiftly attempted to rationalize the strange synergy- It had to had something to do with his previous encounter with the Undernet Navi. When the Blue Myth had transformed, she must not have only borrowed his appearance, but she must have copied and analyzed his abilities as well.

That would definitely explain her mastery of blade-type weapons directly afterwards. It would also explain why the Blue Myth found no trouble at all working around his fighting style.

Unable to retaliate, the Gospel beast was finally backed into a corner. Though damaged with bits and pieces of data collapsing from its form, the beast was still snarling with aggression. Briefly, the spikes behind its head appeared with flash and flicker with energy. Suspecting another attack from the digital beast, Blues rushed forward with his sword, prepared to deal the final blow.

"W-wait!" Somehow, the Blue Myth appeared to suspect that something was amiss. "Blues! It's going to-"

With a loud roar, spirals of flame spewed out from the beast's jaw, catching the red Navi in its direct line of fire. Seeing the oncoming attack, but unwilling to allow the digital beast a chance to turn on the offensive, Blues grit his teeth and braced for the impact- He was going to charge through the flame and slash the beast head on!

...That was, if he wasn't suddenly shoved to the side, missing the spiral of fire and collapsing onto the ground. The wave of fire slammed into one of the power system, still at the far corner of the room, blowing the entire system clean in half. Seconds later, the lights flickered, before going out completely, plunging the entire area into darkness once more.

"Damn it!" Getting to his feet, Blues' vision adjusted to the darkness quickly, but by then it was already too late. The digital beast was no longer anywhere to be seen- It had disappeared completely after the large commission it had created.

"Urgh!" There was a cough coming from behind him. "Darn… I guess it got away…"

It didn't take Blues more than a second to piece together what had happened. He turned around, glaring at the other Navi. "I had everything all under control!"

There was a brief moment of pause as the Blue Myth just looked at him, as if she was having trouble understanding him. "What?"

"I would have deleted that thing by now if you hadn't stepped in!" The Navi almost didn't believe that he needed to explain this to the other Navi. "Thanks to you, it's escaped now- Who knows where it could be?"

"Oh, come on!" Either oblivious to his anger and deliberately trying to fan the flames, the Blue Myth actually  _pouted_. "You totally didn't have the situation under control!"

"I totally did!" It was probably very childish of him, but for some reason, Blues couldn't stop himself from arguing.

"You were running directly into a pillar of fire!"

"It was part of my plan!"

"Are you serious? Your plan for what?" The Blue Myth actually rolled her eyes at him. "To give yourself third degree burns?"

"It was a calculated, tactical move. Before you blatantly pushed me out of the way."

"What else was I supposed to do? Let you get scorched by the fire?" The Undernet Navi frowned at this. "Seriously, Blues- I know you don't really trust me, but finding something suspicious in me pushing you out of the way of a direct line of fire is too much, even for you!"

Blues still wasn't entirely convinced. "I  _had_  everything under control." He insisted.

"Sure you did." The Blue Myth tilted her head. She was grinning again. "That's why you totally didn't need me backing you up to keep Gospel at bay."

"..."

Blues' frown deepened, but he didn't say anything. As much as he hated to, he couldn't quite argue with the truth.

"Whatever." Blues turned back to where he last saw the Gospel beast, still glaring. "...I could have gotten the information that I wanted, if you hadn't interrupted."

"Information? Could it by any chance be  _this_  piece of information?"

Blues raised his hand on instinct to catch whatever it was that the other Navi had tossed at him when he heard the faint sound of moving air. He twitched slightly when he recognized what it was.

"When that Gospel Navi split himself into two, his key data had also been copied into his clone, too." The Blue Myth shrugged as she explained. "I'm not sure what you'll find- But I guess having his memory data is at least better than nothing, right?"

"...Why are you doing this?" Blues asked the Navi before he could stop himself. It was a question that had been nagging at the back of his mind ever since he'd saw the Navi appear during the whole WWW debacle. For all he knew, the Blue Myth was an Undernet Navi, and should, by no means, be affected by anything that happens in the surface net. There had to be some sort of ulterior motive. First WWW, now Gospel-

He didn't believe for a moment that the other was as good-willed and innocent that she had made herself out to be.

"A thanks would have been nice!" The Blue Myth pouted, and Blues tried his best not to roll his eyes. This was getting old, quick. "But, if you really wanted to know, it's because you'd be too proud to accept my help otherwise, right?"

The red Navi blinked at her words. It took him an embarrassingly long amount of time to realize that the other Navi had been answering his prior question, and in that moment, the Blue Myth appeared to have come to the conclusion that her business was done here. "It was nice talking to you, Blues. I know you don't trust me, but I hope you'd at least try to, in the future, and-" At this, she appeared to grin at him once more. "-I think we made a pretty good team, don't you?"

That statement had caught the red Navi off guard. He was stunned momentarily silent, but by the time he had recovered, the Blue Myth had already left, disappearing from the area completely.

"...What kind of thing is that to say…?" The Navi murmured softly to himself. Telling him why she'd forced the Gospel Navi's memory data into his hands instead of just handing it to him instead of what he was clearly asking, and then even going as far as to say that they made a good team when they're never even fought alongside each other prior to this encounter before…

Just what in the world was going on?!

The red Navi looked down into his hand, where he was still holding the piece of memory data in the center of his palm.

"...Tch." With a sense of renewed determination, Blues clutched the piece of data in his hand. "You're a strange one... But I'll figure you out. Sooner or later."


	242. 200 Special (Part 4)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry for the delay, but here's the final installment to the 200 chapter special- Should probably get back onto the main story of LGOTN, before Dark Forte fucking kills me for cutting his arc short on so many occasions. Once again, I thank all my readers for sticking with LGOTN. Cheers.

**Alternative chapters 148~153; Hub throws PET.**

" **Desert Tomb!"**

The first stone cube slammed down onto the ground, and X was already having trouble keeping on his feet as the floor shook and rumbled. Unable to see past the dust clouds resulted from the initial attack, the blue Navi failed to notice the giant stone block barreling down towards him.

"X! Watch out!"

Without thinking, Zero dashed to where his companion was standing and pushed him out of the way. X collapsed against one of the corners of the room, coughing and trying to get the sand out of his eyes and mouth when he fell. The blocks gradually stopped falling, and as the shaking diminished, X quickly scrambled to his feet. What he saw horrified him.

"Zero!"

The red Navi must have been knocked unconscious by one of the stone cubes that had fallen from the ceiling, and was quickly sinking into the quicksand. Desertman let out an unsettling laugh as more of the sand begin to latch onto the red Navi's form.

" **Hehehe… There's no escape… Once you've been consumed by the sand… You'll become a part of me!"**

"Nii-san! Can't you plug Zero out?" Netto really hadn't meant to yell, but he couldn't see any other option; Zero was quickly being eaten up by the sand, and the boy wasn't sure how long X would be able to fend off their current opponent.

"I'm trying! But I can't plug Zero out!" Hub had tried disconnecting the connector from the Battle Dome multiple times by now, but nothing was happening. "The sand must be preventing it somehow!"

" **Hehehe…!"**  Desertman appeared pleased with himself.  **"Did you think it would be that easy to escape from my sand…?"**

"You…!" X was consumed by fear and anger. "Let him go this instant!"

Raising his buster, the Navi fired several charged shots at his opponent, though before the energy shots could hit, two sand pillars had rose up from the quicksand, colliding against X's attack and effectively shielding Desertman from taking any damage.

" **Hehehe!"**  Desertman appeared amused by the attempt.  **"It's useless! Just stand there and watch your friend perish!"**

X's look was one of terror and disbelief. "Why you…!" He fired several more shots at the sand Navi, though each attack was blocked by a similar fashion.

"Nii-san, what do we do?" Netto was panicking. "X can't get close enough to pull Zero out of the sand, and you can't plug him out manually!"

"..." Hub said nothing at first. He seemed to be considering something. Then, reaching into his Battle Chip folder, the elder boy picked out three chips and shoved it into his younger sibling's hands. "Here. Use these."

"Wh-what? These are…" It took Netto only a second to realize what these chips were. "You want me to use Beta Sword?"

Hub nodded. "We have to attack him head on quickly, before he has the chance to do anything else."

"Are you sure?" Netto remembered what had happened when they had attempted to attack the sand Navi before- The Navi just sinked into the wall and avoided their attempts entirely. "Our attacks don't work on him! And what if we hit Zero in the process?" Every other time Hub attempted the Program Advance, it always created a large wave of energy that obliterated anything in its path. "We can't endanger him like that!"

"Don't use the Beta Sword as a long-ranged weapon!" Hub quickly explained. "Just use it like an ordinary sword!"

"But what if he moves again?"

"Netto-kun!" Hub was getting both annoyed and increasingly anxious. "Do you seriously want to argue about this right now?"

"Alright! Fine!" Netto was still feeling dubious about the idea of unleashing the full force of a Program Advance when Zero was very possibly in the direct line of fire of the attack, and whether their attempts at damaging their opponent would even work at all, but the boy told himself that he could trust his elder sibling. "X! We're gonna tear this guy apart with a Program Advance!"

"A Program Advance? Here?" X apparently had the same concerns as his operator. "But Zero's in the way!"

"We're not going to use the Beta Sword as a wave!" Netto quickly relayed the plan to their Navi. "We're find some way to get close, then slash him in half!"

"A-alright, then…!" X was still hesitant, but it was better than being a sitting duck. He readied himself when he received the first Battle Chip for the Program Advance. "Sword!"

" **Hrn?"**  For some reason, this appeared to have caught Desertman's attention. The Navi raised his voice.  **"F-fool! Are you going to risk your friend's life just to attack me?!"**

Netto ignored his taunts. "Attack Battle Chip; Wide Sword! Slot in!"

"Sword! Wide Sword! Long Sword!" As he received all three of the chips, X brought his two hands together, vibrant energy swirling at his fingertips. The Beta Sword manifested itself in a flash of light. Without pause, X grabbed onto the sword, before jumping from the platform he was on, charging towards the sand Navi. "Eat this!"

" **You big idiot!"**  Realizing that X was going to attack him regardless, Desertman retaliated.  **"Lion Head!"**

With a roar, the large head of a lion emerged form the sand, snarling as it lunged towards X. Instead of swinging it at the oncoming attack, however, X instead kicked himself off from the sand lion's head, giving himself an extra boost as he jumped towards his opponent. With a yell, X stabbed the blazing sword directly into the sand Navi's huge form, and the Navi screamed.

" **N-no…! Impossible- Rnnnh… GwuuaaAAAAAA!"**

In a bright flash, Deserman had exploded, the energy coming from the Beta Sword overcharging his core and shattering the Navi into thousands of pieces in an instant. As the Navi was deleted, the room appeared to return back to normal, the sand quickly seeping through any cracks in the ground before disappearing altogether entirely. Among the fading sand, X quickly spotted Zero. He ran over to his companion, turning the other over to lay on his back and shook him slightly. "Zero! Are you alright?"

"...Urgh… Wha-" Zero was interrupted by his own cough. "Wh-what happened…?"

Seeing that his friend was alright, X smiled. "Everything's alright now- Desertman has been deleted!"

"That was a close call!" Netto was relieved, too. Though, something was still on the boy's mind. "But Nii-san! How did you know that the plan would have worked?" Netto asked as he turned to his elder sibling.

"It was just a suspicion that I had in the beginning." Now that their Navies were in no danger of being deleted, Hub took his time to explain his thoughts to his younger sibling. "But after he'd trapped Zero in the sand… I realized that he wasn't moving anymore." Hub tilted his head as he recalled what he saw. "When X attacked him afterwards, he could have moved along the walls to avoid the energy projectiles like he did before… But he didn't. Instead, he just supposed pillars to protect himself while he remained stationary."

"That was when I began to wonder if he was incapable of moving, as long as he was still absorbing data through his sand." At this, Hub smiled, somewhat sheepishly. "...In fact, I wasn't quite sure if this was actually the case or not… So I tried threatening him with the idea of a Program Advance." A shruge. "But then the way he acted so nervously afterwards… It just ended up confirming my suspicions that he was indeed rooted to the spot."

"That's-" It took Netto a moment to digest everything Hub had told him. "-That's amazing! Nii-san, you gotta teach me how to figure out an opponent's weakness just like you did sometimes!"

"Maybe now." Hub agreed. "But for now, let's just go through the door and leave…"

* * *

"You're not going into the next round of battles?"

Hub just smiled, abiety somewhat sadly. "Sorry, Netto-kun, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to sit this one out- Zero still hasn't recovered from the previous battle yet. I don't want to put him in danger and risk him getting hurt or deleted after that."

At the mention of Zero's condition, Netto was suddenly overcome with a feeling of guilt- Hub and Zero had forfeited their chances in the N1 once before, during their battle with the independent Navies Bomberman and Stone. And now, they were going to have to sit out once more because of him and X…

"Hey- Don't look so sad, alright? Now you're making me feel bad." Hub laughed nervously, before continuing. "Netto-kun. It's not your and anyone's fault, okay? This is my decision alone- Zero means a lot more to me than winning any tournament, and nothing can convince me otherwise. If I had continued regardless of Zero's condition, and he ended up getting hurt because of that…"

"I get that, Nii-san." Netto sighed. "I just… Can't help but feel that I'm responsible for you and Zero having to cover me and X's back all the time."

"And that is my decision to make as well." Hub was grinning. "Netto-kun, you know there's no way I'd let you endanger yourself or your Navi- Not if I can help it. You don't have to feel sorry for me- Even if my younger brother can be quite the handful sometimes."

"Hey!"

"Alright, I'll stop." Hub laughed. "Really, Netto, I'll be fine. There'll always be another tournament, but Zero's irreplaceable! I won't give him up just for the chance to win some tournament!"

"Well, if you're sure…" Netto allowed himself a small smirk.

"Hey, the next round of battle is starting soon, right?" Hub turned his attention to where he could hear the crowd cheering in the audience stand. "You better get to the stage quickly- You won't want to miss it after everything that just happened!"

"Alright, I get it!" Netto waved at his elder sibling as he ran down the hallway. "I'll be sure to give it my best!"

"...Hub-san." Once the other boy was out of sight, Zero had spoken up. Hub took out his PET.

"Don't blame yourself, Zero." Hub gave his Navi a reassuring smile. Despite how Zero would attempt to hide it, he knew that his Navi had a tendency to get quite sentimental sometimes. "Like I said, there's always going to be another tournament- And I'm sure we'll do great in that one, as well!"

Zero appeared to relax slightly at his words. As Hub had thought, the Navi seemed to be blaming himself for their disqualification. "...Of course."

"We should get to the audience stand, too." Hub said, "We wouldn't want to miss Netto's match!"

"...Huh?" As Hub was about to pocket his PET once more, Zero noticed something. "Hub-san, someone's attempting to initiate a video call with us."

"What?" Who could be calling them right now? "Who is it?"

"I can't tell. The call is anonymous." Zero frowned, somewhat concerned that he couldn't determine the identity of the caller. "Should i put them through?"

"...Sure. Go ahead." Whoever it was, they can't possibly hurt them through a video call, right?

Zero nodded, and accepted the call. Hub nearly dropped his PET when he saw just who was on the other side of it.

* * *

"Mark Canon!"

As X aimed his buster in the general direction of his current opponent, the blue Navi allowed the program to do the aiming for him, firing a charged shot at Blues when it beeped, signifying a lock on to its target.

Blues saw the oncoming shot a mile away. With a swing of his sword, he deflected the attack, sending it towards a nearby datacube and shattering the structure as it collided with the object. For some reason, Blues was grinning, as if amused by the situation. "Heh. You've improved since last time."

As he spoke, Blues' sword shifted form, the blade becoming malleable with crackling energy. "Variant Sword!"

A wave of discharge energy was released from the sword as the Navi swung it sideways, hurling towards X. Instead of dodging out of the way, he ran straight towards the wave of energy, raising one hand as he received a Battle Chip data from his operator. "Mini Bomb!"

The bombs were flung towards the slash of wave, exploding and dissipating the energy upon impact. The smoke from the blast had completely engulfed the Navi within its midst, before X jumped out from his cover with his own sword, bringing it down onto his opponent. Both swords collided with a loud  _clank!_

"Same to you!" X was smiling as well, as the two Navies stood in the center of the arena.

Likewise, the two Navi's operators were keeping a close eye on the other. "Nice trick…" As he spoke, Enzan took out another Battle Chip. "But it's going to take much more than that to defeat us!" He turned back to his Navi. "Blues!"

The Navi appeared to catch on to what his operator was planning. As he received the chip data, Blues disappeared from sight altogether. X nearly stumbled as his sword swung against thin air. "Wh- Where'd he go?!"

Netto was baffled, caught off guard for a moment, before he noticed a strange movement coming from above the arena out of the corner of his eye. He attempted to warn his Navi immediately. "X! He's-"

"Too slow!" In an instant, Blues had reappeared, dropping down onto his unsuspecting opponent. "This is the end for-"

" **GggWWAAAOOaaahhh!"**

Before both Navies could react, large, cubical blocks suddenly began to rain down onto the arena, shaking the entirety of the battle stage in their wake. Netto was stunned as the audience cheered, believing it to be some sort of trump card that one of the two boys had played. He panicked when his PET could not immediately detect where his Navi was in the wreckage.

"X- X! Are you alright? Answer me!"

"...Huh?" It took him a while, but Enzan was gradually recovering from his own shock. The boy then noticed the distinct form of a third Navi within the Battle Sphere among the smoke. "Another NetNavi?"

"That's Desertman!" Netto recognized the san Navi instantly from when he and his sibling had fought against him just moments prior. "But you were eliminated! How-"

A loud static noise burst through the stadium, drawing several screams from the audience until it subsided. The display screen projecting their battle had been hijacked, and a masked figure now appeared on the screen. By now, Enzan was beginning to suspect what was happening. "Is that…?"

"It is!" Netto confirmed with a nod. "That's Deserman's operator! He's hijacked the entire tournament!"

* * *

Blues' grip was slipping. When the initial blocks began falling and the ground split underneath him and X, the red Navi's first reaction was to stab his sword into the side of the wall to prevent himself from falling further, and to grab onto the other Navi's wrist so that he wouldn't fall into the wreckage below. He heard a sigh of relief coming from said Navi.

"That was some quick thinking, Blues."

"Don't celebrate just yet." Blues frowned. Having one both hands occupied, the Navi couldn't exactly propel himself upwards to avoid the quickly rising sand. They were stuck.

" _How pitiful."_  The voice had come from outside of the Battle Sphere.  _"Even the two strongest Navies from the N1 can't defeat my Desertman."_

Netto turned to the screen, scowling when he realized that it was Desertman's operator who was talking. "You're one to talk! You're the one who can't defeat us in a fair fight!"

"I have to agree." Enzan took one step towards the screen. "I can't stand operators or NetNavies using underhanded tactics to win."

" _Is that what you think?"_  The operator's laughter was distorted.  _"Well, it matters not- Desertman! Delete those two Navies in the glorious name of WWW!"_

"WWW?!" Netto's eyes went wide- That can't be true! WWW had been dismantled a long time ago!

" **Rrrrgn!"**  In the Battle Sphere, Desertman reacted sluggishly to his operator's order. Raising one of his hands, the sand Navi prepared to slam it down onto the two other NetNavies in the arena with him.  **"RhaaAAAARGH!"**

Netto went pale. "X!"

" _Watch closely, fools!"_  Deserman's operator was still laughing.  _"This is what happens to all those who dare defy WWW!"_

In a stunned crash, Desertman had brought his hand down, summoning piles of cubical stone that began to pummel the arena once more. Netto yanked the connector of his PET out from the Battle Sphere when he saw the attack coming, but was unable to plug his Navi out. The boy could only stare in shock as the giant blocks continued to rain down upon the area, before nothing was left besides from sand and ruin.

Then, there was a disruption among the audience once more as the floor of the destroyed arena began to glow with a soft hue, the sand fading, before the stage slowly returned to its original appearance. Netto gasped, recognizing the effects of the Battle Chip. "That's Repair!"

At this point, some among the audience were screaming and pointing towards the top of the Battle Sphere, where the form of a cloaked figure was descending from the air. Behind it was the soft glow of several luminate butterflies as they suspended X and Blues mid-air, both Navies confused and surprised by the turn of events, but relatively unharmed. Desertman seemed to stare blankly at the newcomer as the three Navies landed onto the repaired battle stage.

" **rrrRRRRngh…?"**

"So," The figure spoke, smiling mysteriously. "This was your plan all along."

"The Blue Myth!" Netto beamed, thankful that the Undernet Navi had saved his own Navi from being deleted.

X's reaction was similar. Though startled, he turned to the cloaked Navi, relieved and thankful. "Mega! You've come to help us!"

The Navi glanced at him, giving him a quick nod, before turning back to Desertman and his operator. "...No matter what your intentions are, I won't allow WWW to terrorize the cyberworld!"

" _...!"_ Desertman's operator appeared to have realized that his plan had been foiled by the Blue Myth's unexpected appearance, but even so, the masked operator still had one last trick up his sleeve.  _'Desertman! Use Desert Mirage!'_

" **Rrrh…!"**  Besides the sand Navi, two pillars made of sandstone rose from the ground, and with a groan, the orbs on top of both pillars began to glow.  **"rrRRRAAAAHHH!"**

There was a bright flash of light, blinding everyone in the stadium temporarily. Once the light had finally subsided, Desertman and his operator was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

The back door of the stadium flung open, and the cloaked figure who was Desertman's operator bursted out through the doorway.

"And to think I've wasted all this time for nothing…!" The masked operator was seething. "God damn it all!"

"There he is!" Someone yelled. "Rockman Zero-  _Attack!_ "

Desertman's operator only had a moment to turn, before a PET collided with the side of his head, knocking him out.

* * *

**N1 Grand Prix BBS Board**

**Topic:**   _Boy throws PET at WWW operator!_

_(Video attachment)_

**MettaurMan:**

Watched this video for ten minutes straight now- And it gets better every loop! Man, that WWW operator had no idea what hit him! Best video to have come out of the N2, hands down!


	243. Chapter 200 (Chip Shop)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I've been really nervous recently… I'm not sure what's causing it. I can sort of distract myself from it by doing other stuff. I'm also a bit nervous about going overseas for one of my courses… I just don't do very well outside of my comfort circle. It takes me a ridiculously long time to get used to sudden changes.

"Huh…?"

X and Zero noticed something odd when they stepped into the Battle Chip shop they frequented weekly. Both Navies looked around, confused.

"...Where's everyone?" X spoke softly after a while, slightly suspicious. Besides from the two of them, the store was literally devoid of any other Net Navies. The Battle Chip store was by no means bustling with activity on any other regular day, but there would at least be several other NetNavies every time they visited. "Is the store closed?" Maybe they missed the sign at the entrance?

"I don't think so." Zero frowned, walking past one of the shelves alined with different Battle Chip data. "We would have seen it. Besides, the door's unlocked, and the lights are on… But it's still weird that there isn't anyone else…"

As he rounded the corner, however, Zero nearly yelled and jumped back, surprised by the huddled figure sitting slouched on the floor. Another quick glance told him who this Navi was. "N-Numberman?"

"WH-WHAT…?" The Navi looked up, somewhat detached, his two circular eyes blinking once in recognition. "OH… HEY ZERO… HELLO X…"

"Numberman, is everything okay?" X asked, poking out from behind Zero. Numberman was Higgory's NetNavi, and so, he was responsible for watching the chips shop. However, the Navi appeared quite devastated for some reason… "Did… Did something happen?"

"OH… IT'S JUST TERRIBLE…" The Navi sighed, his shoulders slumping. "IT HAPPENED ABOUT A WEEK AGO… NAVIES STOPPED COMING TO MY SHOP… THE STORE'S NOT MAKING ANY PROFIT FROM CHIP SALES ANYMORE…"

"What?" X raised an eyebrow. Why would NetNavies stop visiting the shop altogether? He looked at Zero, but when the red Navi shrugged and shook his head, he turned back to Numberman. "Why would people just stop coming?"

Numberman sniffed, raising one hand and running a finger across his glass domed head mimicking the motion of wiping one's nose. "Y-YEAH… SEE THAT BUILDING WITH THE GLASS WINDOWS ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE ROAD?"

Curious, both Navies walked towards one of the windows next to the front entrance. True to Numberman's words, there was a building with glass doors just opposite to them.

"SOMEONE RENTED THAT SPOT AND MADE ANOTHER BATTLE CHIP SHOP, JUST ACROSS FROM THIS ONE." Numberman explained, his voice defeated. "THEY'VE BEEN PULLING IN CROWDS AND CROWDS OF NETNAVIES TO THEIR SHOP EVER SINCE… I HAVEN'T SEEN ANOTHER NAVI ENTER MY STORE SINCE IT HAD HAPPENED, ASIDE FROM YOU TWO."

X winced, feeling bad for the other Navi. The chip shop was his livelihood, but there wasn't anything that they could do; It was just how businesses worked. In the end, the two of them just decided browse through the shelves where the new chips were stocked and after discussing which of the Battle Chips to get with their operators, both Navies brought the chips and left shortly after. Numberman seemed thankful, but X and Zero could tell that the Navi was still very much troubled by the possibility of going out of business.

"Hey, since we're already here, maybe we should check out that new Battle Chip shop just across the street." Zero said as they two of them left Higgoy's chip shop.

"Zero!" X was in disbelief.

"I mean… It's not like we're going to buy anything." Zero quickly explained. "We already got all the chips we want. We'll just go in and look around for a bit."

"That's…" X trailed off. In all truthfulness, even though he felt bad for Numberman, he was curious about the new shop himself. "...Netto-kun, what do you think?" He asked his operator.

"I think we should check it out." Netto said, after a short pause. "I'm curious about what they have in stock that's so popular with the net battlers."

"Yeah- I think that's weird as well." Hub frowned a bit. "As far as we know, Higgory has the best prices for a lot of the Battle Chips in Den City… It's weird that everyone would just stop visiting his shop because another chip shop happened to open up from across of his." At this, Hub lowered his voice, as if he was thinking out loud instead. "...Maybe they're offering something exclusive that couldn't be found elsewhere…?"

"Well, if you're alright with it as well…" X sighed. He still felt somewhat guilty, but attempted to rationalize it in his mind; Like Zero said, they already got the Battle Chips they wanted from Higgory's shop. They were just going to go in for a quick look around and nothing else.

* * *

Not a second after X and Zero stepped into the new shop, they were loud screaming coming from the counter near the far end of the store.

"This is unacceptable! Why don't you have any of them in stock?"

"Sir, like I said earlier, that chip is one of our best-selling products. If you want to secure one, the best way is to preorder it before the new stock arrives."

"But the markup on your pre orders are  _bullshit!_  It's basically  _theft!_ "

"I'm sorry you feel that way, sir. But I can't help you with that."

"Fuck you, asshole!"

Then, X and Zero quickly stepped out of the way as a NetNavi stormed past them, nearly pushing the two of them aside. He flung the front door open and left in a huff. Zero was confused. "What was that all about…?"

"Ah, new customers, I see!" Turning back around, both Navies now saw the Navi who had been behind the counter standing in front of them. "I'm terribly sorry for that scene just now. Is there anything I can help you two with?"

"Oh, no, it's alright." X quickly said, still trying to get over the commotion that had occured just now. "We're just here to look around."

"Oh, I see." If the Navi was disappointed, he didn't show it. "Alright. Feel free to have a look around. If you two need anything, just ring me up on that counter over there. I'll be more than happy to help."

"Sure." X smiled, nodding. "Thanks. We'll be sure to do that."

Giving them both one last look, the Navi retreated back behind the counter, turning on a data pad and began reading from it. X and Zero turned to each other.

"Right…" Zero mumbled, stepping towards one of the shelves. "Time to check out what they have on here…"


	244. Chapter 201

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: A bit tired, and I have a presentation and a mid-term next week… At least it'll be my cake day next Friday. Yay.

After a quick but thorough browsing through all of the shelves in the store, X and Zero quickly determined that there wasn't anything out of the ordinary in this shop. The Battle Chips they have in stock were the same as any other store offering Battle Chips.

"That's weird." Hub mused quietly after they had a look through the store's stock. "Higgory has all of these chips as well, and some of them for better prices than you'd find here…" The boy had intentionally kept his voice down so not to accidentally allow the Navi still at the counter overhear their conversation. "Why would Navies just stop going to Higgory's chip shop just because this one's opened up? We know that the Battle Chips there works just fine…"

"I don't know." Netto whisper back, though he was only doing so because his sibling had started it. "I don't see anything special that couldn't be found any other chip stores… And I was getting excited about their 'best selling chip', too…" The boy had trailed off into a grumble towards the end, though his words appeared to give his NetNavi an idea.

"Hey, maybe the reason why Higgory's store isn't getting any customers anymore is because of this 'best selling chip'?" X asked, tilting his head in thought. "Though, I'm not too sure what it can be… I don't see anything that can be considered in such a high demand that it'd require pre orders…"

"Right. Didn't that Navi said that they were all sold out already?" Zero seemed to recall that that was why the Navi who had left the store earlier had been so angry. "We wouldn't find it by looking around here. We'd probably need to ask the cashier."

X nodded in agreement. With that decided, both Navies made their way towards the counter. The Navi looked up from his data pad as he noticed the two of them approaching. "Hello again! Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Um, yeah." X began, somewhat uncertain of how to word his question. "Well… About that other Navi that left just a while ago…"

"Oh! I'm so sorry you had to see that!" The Navi quickly apologized. "We try to keep all our customers satisfied, but the chip he wanted was simply out of stock, and as much as I would want to help him, there was nothing I could do!"

"No, I completely understand." X smiled, reassuring the Navi. "We just wanted to ask about the chip that he wanted."

"You want to learn more about our best seller?" The Navi appeared relieved. "Well, this chip can't be found in any other chip shop in Den City, as it's one of our specialties! With this chip, you can quickly turn the tide of battle, allowing you to triumph over any opponent!" The Navi then paused briefly. "W-we don't have any of the chip in stock right now, but if you'd like, I can add you to the waiting list for the next round of pre orders! You can pay the full amount for the chip, then."

"Okay…" Zero raised an eyebrow. "How much is one of those chips, anyways?"

"Well, the chip is normally a hundred thousand zennies if you buy it from our store directly, but if you preorder it, that'll be around five hundred thousand zennies."

"..."

X and Zero gave each other a quick look. No wonder the other Navi had been absolutely fuming about the price. The chip had to be at least a hundred times both of the boy's allowance combined.

' _About five thousand times, to be exact.'_  X laughed internally as he did the maths in his mind.

"...What's that chip called, anyways?" Zero asked, trying to avoid the fact that there was no way that they would be able to purchase the chip.

"Ah. It's called the Akuma Chip!" The Navi beamed.

"The…  _Akuma_  Chip…?" Zero frowned. It was an awfully weird name for a chip. "And… What does it do, exactly..?"

"Well…" The Navi paused, seemingly considering his words, before speaking. "It has quite the fascinating effect. You see, you can use it whenever you're in a pinch during a battle, and it'll instantly give you a huge boost in your strength and abilities! It's quite useful, if I do say so myself!"

"...Netto, does that sound suspicious to you?" Muting his PET for a moment, Hub turned to his younger sibling.

"I don't know." Netto shrugged, then frowned. "But I don't like the way he's saying it. All we know is that the chip is supposed to give its user a power boost, but we don't know any specifics of it. How long does it even last? And how great of a boost are we talking about?"

"Something's fishy here…" Hub was still concerned. "I think we should just go along with it, for the moment. I want to learn more about that Battle Chip he's talking about."

"Yeah, me too." Netto agreed. The twins unmuted their PETs. "Alright. Add us to the waiting list for the preorders!"

"Excellent!" The Navi was pleased. He picked up his data pad and brought up a form onto the screen. "Ah, may I have your names and contact info, please?"

"Sure." Hub replied. "I'm Hub Hikari, and this is my sibling, Netto Hikari."

The Navi appeared fine, though as Hub told him both their names, his demeanor changed. The Navi fell oddly quiet, regarding both X and Zero carefully with a tense look, before he physically forced himself to say, "I-I'm sorry… But I must check with the owner about something really quick. I'll be back in an instant."

Then, the Navi turned. Sliding a door open, he quickly disappeared through the doorway, before the door was shut once more. X and Zero just looked at each other, confused by the sudden change in behavior.

"...What do you think happened?" X was worried. He could hear some hushed voices speaking from behind the door, but the Navi couldn't quite make out what was being said. He could only tell that the voice sounded urgent.

"I'm not sure." Zero shook his head. "I hope it's nothing too serious."

Several moments later, the door slid back open, and the Navi emerged once more. He looked somewhat startled, and his face had gone strangely pale. "Ah, forgive me for not recognizing you two- You're Rockmand X and Rockman Zero, is that right?"

"Oh, uh…" X chuckled embarrassedly. So that was what the urgency was about? "Yes. I'm X, and this is Zero."

"I see! I see!" The Navi laughed, too, though his voice was laced with nervousness. "W-well… As it appears, the owner of our store actually knows you two! He told me that if you two were ever interested in purchasing from our store, we would have two copies of the Akuma chip, just for you!"

"Really?" Zero was surprised- And suspicious. The Navi had made the chip out to be something that was in extremely high demand, and now they were going to be given two of them for free?

"Yes! Really!" The Navi insisted. "They're kept in the backroom where we store them- Just in case!" Then, he began motioning for the two Navies to follow as he stepped through the doorway once more. "Come on! I'll show you!"

"...Are we going to follow him, or…?" X turned to his and Zero's operators, highly concerned. By now, the group had the distinct feeling that something was amiss.

"...It's just a regular shop…" Zero reasoned. "What could possibly be back there, anyways? Viruses?"

"Well… Alright." X nodded, sighing. "Let's go check it out."


	245. Chapter 202

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Why do I have a reading test on Monday, a presentation on Tuesday, an essay to hand in and a test on Friday? Please kill me because I kind of want to die?

X stepped through the doorway first into the back room. He frowned upon realizing how poorly lit the area was- He could barely see where he was heading. "Hey- It's awfully dark in here!" X called out to the Navi. How was anyone supposed to find anything in here?

"It's alright! I know where everything is!" X heard the Navi's reply from just ahead. "Just follow my voice!"

"Well, if you say so…"

X walked further into the room, with Zero following quickly behind him. Both Navies didn't make it several steps before the door suddenly slid closed behind them, plunging them into complete darkness. The two Navies panicked.

"Is that supposed to happen?" Zero yelled out, looking around, though the effort did little to help him see.

"I'm sorry!"

The Navi's voice had come from behind them this time, and before X and Zero could react, they were pushed from behind. The two Navies stumbled forwards, bracing themselves to hit the floor, but instead, they screamed as they felt themselves falling further and further, seemingly without end.

* * *

 

"Ow!"

X groaned, turning over and attempting to get back up when he finally landed on something solid in a heap. As he slowly shuffled to his feet, there was a yell, and the blue Navi was knocked back down when Zero fell on top of him.

"...Zero." He wheezed, pushing the other Navi aside. "...Get off."

"Sorry…" Zero coughed as he rolled off of him. Both Navies struggled to get to their feet. The two Navies could see much clearly now, as the area was not in complete darkness as it had been in the back room, but X and Zero were beginning to suspect that they were no longer in the chip store. In fact, they didn't seem to be in any place they could recognize. The area was cluttered with bramble and gears. A soft rumbling sound could be heard coming from a distance.

"...Where  _are_  we…?" X wondered out loud.

"...X! Zero, can you hear us?" Both Navies blinked. The sound from their comms had blared with static for a moment, before the voices of their operators slowly cleared up. "Are you two okay? What happened? The PET of the screen just flashed black and turned off! We just managed to get through to you!"

"We don't know." Zero frowned. "But I don't think we're in the chip shop anymore. I believe we might have been transported to another location entirely."

"Really?" Netto cursed. "Darn! Wherever you are, the PET doesn't seem to recognize it, either!"

"You're going to need to go to a terminal that the PET can register before we can plug you out now…" Hub's tone was worried. "...How were you transported from the chip shop all the way to this location, anyways…?"

_Wheeeeeeen!_

Alarmed by the sudden whirring sound of a drill, X and Zero both leapt aside, before a large, drill-like projectile erupted from under the floor they were standing on. The ground was made up in parts of glass and metal gears, and pieces of the shattered material were sent flying and clattering onto the ground during the collision. Both Navies stared at the giant drill. "That was close!" X gasped.

"Wheeen!"

The two Navi's attention was drawn towards the metallic laugh. Another Navi was standing upon one of the large gears that were scattered throughout the area. One that X and Zero recognized.

"Drillman!" Zero's eyes widened, then narrowed. He still remembered the Navi from their run-in with him in the pocket area in SciLabs, and later, the virus attack on the Internet City. Drillman's appearance could only mean trouble for them. "So you're behind us being transported here?"

"Wheeen!" The Navi appeared to be laughing at them. "Are you surprised? Wheen! I can't believe how easy it was to trick the two of you!"

At this point, X just gave Zero a black stare. "I  _told_  you that something was off."

Zero just shrugged in return.

"It was almost too easy! You didn't even suspect a thing, did you?" Taking their silence as shock, Drillman continued mocking them. "You really think I would just give away two of my Dark Chips away for free- and to you two, no less?"

"W-wait a minute." Hub had caught onto something. "You mean those Akuma Chips were really Dark Chips?"

"Heen!" Drillman nodded. "That's right!"

"And… You've been selling Dark Chips to Navies all over Den City… Under the guise that they're really good Battle Chips." Hub continued.

"Heen!" Drillman nodded again. Hub and Netto just looked at each other, unsure of how to feel about the Navi basically openly admitting all of his crimes.

"You're using the chip shop as a guise to distribute Dark Chips to Navies all over Den City!" Netto realized. That was why Higgory's shop hasn't been having any visitors ever since the new store opened- The Navi was getting all the Navies in Den City addicted to Dark Chips!

"That's right!" Drillman was smirking gleefully- Well, he would have been, if drills could smirk. "Ingenious, isn't it? And now, I've even managed to trap the two of you in here, where I can have the fun of tearing the both of you to shreds!"

"...Actually," Zero coughed. "That's- That's not a really good plan…"

"Wh-what?" Drillman was taken aback.

"I mean… Come on, dude, you're basically making you selling out Dark Chips to Navies public record." Zero explained. "It's only a matter of time when the net police get suspicious with the number of Navies going insane after using the Akuma Chip they've bought from your store and they decide to look into it…" Then, at this, Zero's tone changed. The Navi seemed amazed himself. "It's actually really surprising that no one began looking into your chip shop and traced all of its activities back to you."

"Wh-wha-?!" Drillman spluttered for a moment. It was obvious that the possibility of something like that happening had never once crossed his mind. "Sh-shut up! You insolent fools! You're just unable to handle my genius!"

"...Right…" X said, in a tone that suggested he meant the exact opposite of what he was saying.

"Enough! Stop talking!" Drillman huffed and puffed, embarrassed and agitated. "That won't matter soon! You're rats trapped in a maze! There's nowhere to run! I'll drill holes in you like swiss cheese! Wheen!"


	246. Chapter 203 (Rematch: Drillman)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay what the fuck I almost collapsed yesterday. My heart was fucking pounding in my chest and I thought it would almost pop.

Turning back into a drill, the newly-revived Navi lunged towards X and Zero, metallic gears creeking and breaking as he barreled forward. Having fought Drillman before, both red and blue Navies were able to predict his move, dodging out of the way quickly before their opponent could ram into them. Zero drew his sword and leapt after the drill Navi as he went past them.

"You're not going to beat us!" The Navi yelled, as he brought his weapon down onto the back of the drill, slicing one part of it clean off. "We know all your tricks already!"

Drillman slowed down upon reaching the far end of the area, turning back into his Navi form. Zero appeared to have damaged some part of his legs with his prior attack. "That's what you think!" Drillman narrowed his eyes. "But what about this?!"

Jumping into the air, a crater appeared above the Navi, swallowing him completely before disappearing. X summoned his own weapon, realizing that their opponent was using his special ability to travel through the cyberworld freely- Meaning he could pop out anywhere at any time!

Though, from X's experiences with fighting the Navi with Blues- Well, the other Navi had mostly done all the work, but that didn't mean he was idle!- The blue Navi knew that the Navi's trick was not completely flawless. If he listened closely, there was a distant sound of a machine traveling through gravel, and X aimed his buster, charging up for a shot once he heard it.

"There you are!"

He fired his buster at the same time a drill appeared from out of thin air, aimed towards him. The two attacks collided, canceling each other out. Several more drills had manifested themselves out of nowhere in a similar fashion, but all were taken out by the blue Navi accordingly. Drillman appeared once more, this time on top of one of the larger gears, mildly annoyed.

"Heen! Why won't the two of you just go down?!"

"We won't go down that easily!" X shot back. "And we won't fall for any of your tricks!"

"Heen!" Drillman was visibly infuriated for a moment. He had thought that it would be an effortless task to delete the two meddling Navies quickly and without anyone realizing, and he found it unacceptable that he was having trouble with the very same Navies he was looking down on! Then, the Navi's expression appeared to change, and Drillman began to cackle.

"So, you think I'm an idiot?" The drill Navi laughed. "Well, I didn't think I needed this, but I have one last trick up my sleeve!" At this, the Navi pulled out a chip, and both X and Zero's eyes widened.

"That's a dark chip!" Even from afar, Zero could tell that the chip was tainted a deep shade of purple. Then, before either Navies could react, Drillman activated the chip. In an instant, swirls of dark energy burst out from the chip and quickly surrounded the Navi as he was infused with its power.

"hhE **EEEEEN!"**

As they watched how the dark energy would crackle and crunch around the drill Navi, X and Zero subconsciously took a step back. They both knew just how dangerous the chip was from their run-in with the Navi back in the arcade, and if a single chip was enough to give any ordinary Navi such a huge power boost-

Drillman's form appeared to twist and jerk slightly as he was hunched over, still wheezing. His incoherent yellings slowed when the dark energy gradually dissipated into his body, and the Navi stood up straight once more, eyes glowing a bright crimson while his entire body was stained purple like the Dark Chip had been. Drillman was laughing as he raised one hadn at X and Zero, his voice somewhat rusted and distorted as he spoke..  **"Heeeen… How do you like me now?"**

Without warning, the ground gave away underneath from the two Navies, and X and Zero only had a second to jump to safety before three giant drills emerged from the ground, chewing and gnawing away at the ground and scrap metal as they spun. X bit back a curse- He'd nearly gotten impaled on those drills!

" **You can't run- and neither can you hide!"**

X heard the voice rapidly approaching from his left. When he turned, all he could see was Drillman, now in his drill form, rapidly barreling towards him. X quickly realized that there wasn't enough time for him to move this time. Raising his arms in front of him, the blue Navi tensed and braced for the impact. Fortunately, his operator had reacted just in time.

"Battle Chip; Barrier! Slot in!"

A dome-like shield appeared over X instantly, blocking the brunt of Drillman's attack, though X was still thrown backwards by the sheer force behind the Navi's charge. The Barrier flickered and shattered into fading data not a moment later. "X! Are you alright?" Netto asked, frantic.

"I'm fine…" X took a moment to recover from the attack- That had been too close. He knew just how dangerous the Dark Chips made NetNavies, and had Netto not acted as quickly as he had, the blue Navi knew he would be nothing more than pieces of scrap data by now. "Thanks…!"

"It's no problem!" Netto flashed him a quick smile. "But we need to find a way to beat this guy, quick! We can't risk him coming at us with another one of those attacks!"

" **Heeeeeeen!"**

Looking to where the rusty laugh had come from, X now saw that Drillman was carving crater after crater throughout the entire area, occasionally bouncing off one of the huge, metallic gears, the sound of it not unlike some sort of ungodly gong. Both Navi and operator winced as the low rumble vibrated through the empty space, and some of the gears appeared to churn slightly.

" **Delete, delete, delete!"**  Drillman seemed to be cackling and rambling incoherently at this point. His eyes were glazed over, flashing red.  **"Heeeeeeen!"**

"Right…" X frowned as he took note of some of the gears and bolts falling from above, landing all around them with soft  _clink_ ing noises. The platform they were on was almost trembling with every collision Drillman made against their surroundings. "I'm not sure how long this place will hold up with him wrecking it as it is now… We better figure out a way to stop him before this place goes down!"


	247. Chapter 204

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Alright, so a bunch of things happened. The good news is, I feel fine after that one time I had to lay down because of my heart. My mom think it's because of cholesterol, but I think maybe it's probably just stress. And then I also had my birthday but then had to hand in an essay and take and exam on that day. I'm back now though. So I guess it's good.

Zero cursed silently as he leapt over one of the falling gears brought down by Drillman's rampage through the area. The Navi had missed him narrowly with his previous charge, and was now circling back around to ram him again.

"Zero, use this!" Hub took out a Battle Chip. "Attack Battle Chip, Z-Saber! Slot in!"

Zero clutched the green saber in his hands as he accepted the chip data. He readied himself for a counter attack as the drill Navi sped towards him. He'd heard from X later that Blues had exploited a weakness in Drillman's attack to slice the Navi clean in half during their encounter with him in SciLabs. If he was quick enough, he could do the same and end the battle right here! "Alright! Come at me!"

" **Heeeen!"**  Drillman's voice was cracked and distorted.  **"I'll rip you to shreds!"**

Taking and running start, Zero swung his saber at the Navi, though instead of connecting with its intended target, his saber had shattered even before it connected with the other Navi. Zero was stunned, his eyes going wide as he watched his weapon break, but he couldn't react in time before Drillman ran into him, sending him flying backwards. Drillman had disappeared into another portal, his maniacal laugh echoing through the grinding gears.

"Zero!" X yelled, horrified as he ran towards where his companion had fallen. The blue Navi had seen Drillman's attack barreling towards him moments before, and he could only just imagine what Zero had felt when he was struck. He knelt down next to the other Navi, attempting to help him sit up. "Are you okay?!"

Zero hissed as he was yanked up. He placed one hand on his side, clutching the wound there. Looking downwards, X saw that Drillman's attack had taken out a large chunk out of the other Navi's waist, and X shuddered to think that if Drillman's charge had been a little more to the left, it was very possible that Zero could have been cut clean in half-

"Zero! What are you doing?!" X stopped the other Navi when he saw tht he was trying to get back onto his feet. "You're hurt!" He motioned to where broken pieces of data were still spilling out of the red Navi's wound.

"I'll live." Zero managed to ground out through clenched teeth.

"Like hell you are!" Netto had piped in at this point as well. "Nii-san! You can't let Zero fight anymore! There's no way he can take another attack from Drillman!"

Hub didn't say anything at first, but he knew his younger sibling was right- He was already extremely lucky that his Navi hadn't gotten deleted when Drillman rammed into Zero, but he didn't want to leave Netto and X to fight their current opponent alone, either! "What about you and X?"

"We'll be fine!" Netto insisted. Turning back to his PET, the boy took out one of his own Battle Chips. "Let's knock him out of the air! Attack Battle Chip; Mark Canon! Slot in!"

Forming his arm into a buster, X allowed the chip data to do the aiming for him as he scanned the area for any signs of Drillman. The problem was, the drill Navi didn't seem to be hiding his whereabouts this time, laughing and cackling with glee as he traveled through the area unseen, his metallic voice reverberating and echoing through the battlefield in a way that X was unable to pinpoint just where the Navi was going.

" **Peek-a-boo!"**

X gasped, nearing screaming when the Navi suddenly appeared from underneath him. He only had a split second to jump back to put as much distance between himself and Drillman's charge that the Navi didn't bother checking whether there was anything behind him. His back slammed into something solid, and X jumped again, turning around, before abruptly realizing that it was one of the giant gears that were surrounding the entire area.

"What's with all these gears, anyways?" Netto couldn't resist asking out loud. The gears had been bothering him since their Navies had been brought into this strange location. "They aren't even moving! What's the point?"

"Maybe they're rusted over?" Hub wondered, trying to see the gears better through his PET. "Zero, can you get me a better view?"

"I'm on it." Zero winced. Still clutching his wound, the Navi scrambled over to where the gears appeared to be congregating, creating some sort of twisted, metallic structure near the far side of the battle field. Zero looked up, squinting. Where on earth where all these gears coming from?

"These gears seem to be leading to somewhere…" Hub frowned, attempting to follow the sprial of gears upwards the best he could. At the top, the boy could see the silhouette of two large gears, their teeth grinding together.

Then, a sudden idea popped into his mind. "Netto-kun! X! I have a plan!"

"What?" X was still busy dodging the onslaught of attacks from Drillman, narrowly stepping sideways to avoid another miniautre drill coming his way. "What is it?"

"The gears are rusted! That's why they aren't moving!" Hub quickly explained. "You have to give them a jump start!"

"So you plan is to get the gears to begin moving again?" Netto asked, confused. He wasn't sure how restaring the gears would help them defeat Drillman. "How would we even start them back up, anyways?"

"I don't know- Just give it a push, or something!" Hub insisted.

"How is X supposed to push them?" Netto's tone was incredulous. "Do you see how big those gears are, Nii-san?" They had to be at least five times the size of their Navies!

Hub bit back a curse. "Urgh… You're right…"

"W-wait!" It was X this time. The Navi looked back at his operator and his twin. "I- I think I have an idea how to do that!"

"Really?" Netto raised an eyebrow. "How?"

"We'll need to enter Perfect Synchro!" X narrowed his eyes as Drillman disappeared from sight once more. "We need to be quick, though!"

"Right…" Netto was still unsure whether he understood the plan or not, but he trusted his Navi. "Alright. Let's do that. I'm counting on you, X!"

"Becareful, you two." Hub looked at the two of them, his voice concerned.

"Of course." X gave both twins a reassuring smile. "Don't worry! We'll defeat Drillman yet!"

" **Heeen!"**  It didn't take long for Drillman to reamerge once more, the Navi's paitence waring thin.  **"That's enough yammering coming from you! I'll delete you this time! You'll be nothing more than pieces of scrap data!"**

"Now!" X yelled as Drillman lunged towards him, and both Navi and operator fell into syncronization, their thoughts becoming one. In a bright flash of light, X had changed form, easily side stepping out of the way of Drillman's attack this time as his Ultimate Style granted him a boon to all his abilities. His opponent barely managed to skid to a halt, looking back at him in disbelief.  **"Heen?!"**

"Heh." X just smirked. Wagging a finger at Drillman, taunting him. "I bet you can't catch me now!"

His attempt worked like a charm. Drillman fell for the taunt almost instantly, his face turning a bright shade of red. For a second, X could even swear that he saw steam coming out from the side of the Navi's head.

" **HeeeEEEEEEEEEN!"**  Drillman shrieked in rage. The dark power from inside the Navi's body crackling with vibrant energy, emboldened and feeding off the Navi's anger. Drillman's eyes seemed to go blank for a moment, before the Navi spoke, his voice cracked and distorted.  **"Make fun of me.. I'LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR MAKING FUN OF ME!"**

" _Now would be a good time to start running?"_  Netto asked in his shared thoughts with his Navi.

"Yeah, you're right." X gave a short laugh. With a whirl, Drillman shot towards them even quicker, and with more force than both Navi and operator thought possible.


	248. Chapter 205

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: IT'S READING WEEK! I DON'T HAVE TO GO TO SCHOOL BUT I STILL NEED TO PREPARE FOR A BUNCH OF PAPERS AND PRESENTATIONS! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

X sidestepped several of Drillman's charges towards him with relative ease, his Style Change giving him a substantial boost to his reflexes, and it didn't take an expert to tell that the drill Navi was getting increasingly frustrated with his failed attempt at bringing his opponent down.

" **Stop RUNNING!"**  Drillman was seething at this point, his scream accompanied with a loud whirl of spinning metal.  **"Stop running and just DIE!"**

In response, X just grinned and stuck his tongue out at him in a rather childish manner. "You're too slow!"

" **RaAAAH!"**

" _I hope making him angrier is part of your plan."_ Netto winced as X jumped up just in time to leap over Drillman's attack. There was an unsettling  _skreek!_  Coming from behind them as Drillman plowed straight through rusted metal in order to get to them.  _"The Dark Power is just making him stronger the angrier he gets!"_

"Trust me! I know what I'm doing!" X reassured his operator as he landed on top of one of the gears. Drillman was quick to scrambled upwards in order to reach him. Casting a brief look to what was behind him, X squinted, then turned back to his opponent. "Over here, slow poke!" He taunted.

" **HeEEEN!"**

"Yikes!" X rolled out of the way at the last moment, the Navi's charge attack narrowly grazing him.

_Ku-Krank!_

Looking back, X saw that Drillman had rammed directly into one of the sideways gears, knocking into its teeth and nearly cracking the gear entirely. The gear seemed to jolt at the impact, setting in motion a series of chain reactions. X blinked as small bits of rust began sprinkling down from above him, the distant churning growing louder.

" _Are…"_  Netto appeared to be catching on to what his NetNavi was planning.  _"Are those gears beginning to turn?"_

"They are." X smiled. "A few more hits and we should get this… Well, whatever  _this_  is moving!"

" _That's great!"_  Then, Netto paused momentarily.  _"B-but, what happens after we do get it moving?"_

"You'll see!" Leaping in front of another one of the gears, X yelled to get Drillman's attention once more. "Is that all you've got?"

" **Shut UP!"**  Drillman emerged from one of his portals, eyes blazing a vibrant red as he shot towards X.  **"Just shut up and DIE!"**

_Ku-Krank! Skreek!_

"Phew…" X got up from when he had jumped out of the way from Drillman's charge this time, quickly dusting himself off. More of the rust was falling now, and there was the first movement of the gears as their teeth began grinding together, creating a rhythmic, cranking sound that progressively got faster with each crunch of their teeth.

"Netto-kun." X motioned to where the two silhouettes of the giant gears can be seen from where they were. "Look."

Netto was quiet, and X could feel his operators confusion through their shared thoughts, though there was a sudden jolt at the back of his mind when Netto made the connection, followed by the swift flood of realization.  _"X- That's genius! How come I never thought of that?"_

"We'll talk about that later!" With a running start, X jumped, reaching one hand and grabbing onto one of the turning gears and riding its teeth upwards. He was quickly followed by the sounds of crunching metal as Drillman followed, attempting to knock him off his feet by sending some of his mini drills his way. X flung himself over onto the top-most platform just before one of the drills could lodge itself into his leg, the metallic sheet underneath him denting with a loud  _crunck!_  as the drill lodged itself into the platform.

"That was close…" X sighed to himself as he ran in front of the two, sideways gears, making sure that they were turning in the right direction, before turning back around. By now, Drillman had made it on top of the platform as well, making some sort of rusted, wheezing noises as he stepped closer.  **"Nowhere to run now!"**

' _This is it.'_  Narrowing his eyes, X readied himself for the plan. The execution had to be perfect if he wanted it to work. "Alright then- I'm all yours!" He yelled at the Navi, stretching both his arm outwards in a taunting manner. He watched in hyper focus as Drillman jumped into the air, quickly taking the shape of a drill, before lunging himself blindly at the blue Navi. He tensed as the drill Navi got closer, and closer, and closer, until-

"Now!" At the last possible moment, X sidestepped out of the way. Unable to stop himself, Drillman had shot past x completely, and flew straight into-

_Ku-KRUNCH! K-KRACK!_

Despite the plan succeeding, X couldn't help but wince when he watched how Drillman was completely crushed into nothing more than broken pieces of data as he was caught in between the two giant gears, unable to get out from in between their teeth before he was crunched within the two turning gears. Bits and pieces of metal that made up his metallic drill made soft pinging noises as they scattered onto the platform, the only thing to be spat out by the two gears. He sighed. "At least that's over…"

"X, that was awesome!" Netto couldn't resist yelling as the two of them slipped out of Perfect Syncro, was beaming, the Navi returning to his normal form quickly as their synchronization was broken. "Heh! I bet he didn't even know what he had coming for him!"

"We got kind of lucky that he didn't catch onto what we were doing." X said with a soft smile. Indeed, had the Navi not been consumed and overwhelmed by the Dark Chip, he might have been aware enough to realize their plan before they can even put it into motion. Instead, the Navi's rage had blinded him to the point where he had practically leapt into their trap head first without realizing it, even when it was too late.

_Kuh-tink-tink!_

"Huh?" Noticing the small sound, X looked to where he heard the noise come from, and realized that the two grinding gears had spat out something else. "Hey- It's that Dark Chip he used!"

"Man, these things sure are durable…" Netto mumbled softly as his Navi went over to the chip, picking it up carefully. The boy still remembered all the previous times they had fought against Dark Chip consumed enemies, and the chips always seemed to survive every encounter. "What do you suppose we should do with this one?"

"We should probably take this back to SciLabs." X frowned. "Oh, and we should probably alert the authorities to that chip shop, too; We can't let them continue distributing Dark Chips to any Navi that just so happens to enter their store, and maybe Sean can even begin tracking down just where exactly these chips are coming from."

"Yeah, you're right." Netto quickly agreed, abruptly realizing that they were tracking down these Dark Chips for a reason. "Say, didn't the Dark Soul also revive Desertman and Plantman as well…?"

"He did…" X could almost feel a headache forming; If Drillman had given them so much trouble just to defeat him, then he shuddered to think about what would happen when they confronted the two other Navies once more. Knowing that the two other Navies would also have no qualms about abusing Dark Chips to gain an unfair advantage didn't help, either. "Whenever we meet them… I hope it isn't going to be anytime too soon…"


	249. Chapter 206

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Watching my favourite YouTuber play Tetris 99 and get to the top ten and the fucking boss battle music plays legit gave me second-hand anxiety.

"Sir, Drillman just got deleted."

"Don't you think I know that!" Shademan just hissed at Plantman. The Navi recoiled slightly, obviously not wanted to draw his ire, though he did narrow his eyes slightly in annoyance at being yelled at.

"That bumbling idiot got what he deserved!" Shademan continued, completely glossing over his displeasure. "I told him to distract those fools, and what does he do instead? He confronts them in battle!" Shademan snorted, turning his nose up at the thought. "If he's not competent enough to follow such simple orders, than perhaps he deserved to get deleted."

"..." Plantman just stayed silent, crossing his arms. He didn't really cared for Drillman, but the two of them were technically colleagues, as both Navies had worked for WWW before they were deleted then revived by the Dark Soul. And even the terrorist organization didn't show such contempt for their subordinates as Shademan had.

" **Hhhrrn… What do we do now…?"**  Desertman just asked, unsure of what to make of the situation.

"How the fuck am I supposed to know?" Shademan snapped at him. "But now, thanks to your little friend, those two Navies and their group of misfits are going to come snooping around sooner or later! So either one of you better go ahead and fix his muck up this instant, or else!"

Desertman and Planman gave each other a look. Platman shook his head. He really was in no mood to go around running errand just because Shademan decided to have a temper tantrum at the two of them.

" **Hrhh… Fine… I'll go…"**  Desertman said, turning back to face Shademan.  **"But I want something in return…"**

"What?" Shademan raised an eyebrow at him, baffled, before he realized what the desert Navi wanted. "Oh? Hmph. Very well then." He squinted, and smirked. "Fine. If you manage to get those meddling Navies off our trail long enough so that the gate to the Dark Web can be opened, you may have all the Dark Chips that you want."

" **Hrm, hmmm…"**  Desertman's mouth twisted upwards into a broken grin. He seemed pleased by the answer.  **"Alright… You said it…"**  Then, with a final rumbling chuckle, the Navi sunk back into his sand, quickly disappearing as he retreated from the area. Shademan's smirk fell.

"Fools. The entire lot of you." Shademan mumbled to himself. Then realizing that Plantman was still here and looking at him, the Navi glared at him. "What're you still standing around here for? Get lost!"

Platman heeded his words quickly enough, though his discontent for the bat Navi was steadily growing.

' _Such a boastful, arrogant, idiot.'_  Plantman thought to himself, not wanting someone to accidentally overhear him.  _'If you think I'll serve you like those two other morons had, then you've got another thing coming to you…'_

* * *

"Oh boy! You two don't know it yet, but you've uncovered a huge viper's nest with what you just did!"

"A viper's nest?" Netto frowned, not realizing that there were snakes involved. The day after their encounter with Drillman, the two Hikari twins had dropped by SciLabs in order to hand Sean the Dark Chip they found and inform him about the chip shop that was selling these Dark Chips. Enzan just so happened to be there as well, so the matter was quickly taken care of- Access to the shop was now closed off by the net police, and it was very unlikely they would ever be in business ever again. There were several Navies that seemed overly upset that they would no longer be able to get Battle Chips from the shop, if them charging at the net police officers and attempting to ram the barricade was of any indication, but Numberman appeared happy with the development. The Navi had even sent X and Zero a thank you card, telling them that he was pleased that the two Navies and their operator had revealed that the other shop was selling such dangerous Battle Chips. Apparently, the Navi had been concerned that their underhand dealings might damage the reputation of all of the nearby shops, so it was fortunate that the twins and their Navies had uncovered the truth before it became too much of a problem.

"Yup! It's incredible!" Ignoring Netto's confusion, Sean rolled back over to the two twins on his office chair, his laptop in hand. "Enzan and Blues went over there and managed to secure their transaction records, and we've managed to narrow down some possible locations where they were shipping the Dark Chips from the Undernet to the Surface net." Tapping on one of the keys on his laptop, the boy brought up a map of the cyberworld on the display screen. He motioned towards some of the locations marked with red crossed on the map. "Look!"

"That's… That's still a lot of possible locations they could be smuggling the Dark Chips to." Hub couldn't help but notice.

"What, you have a better idea? Maybe search through the entire Undernet from top to bottom? Is that what you want?" Sean shot back, and Hub blushed, somewhat insulted. "That's what I thought."

"Hey!" Netto took a step forward, standing in front of his elder sibling. "One of these days, I'm going to beat you up! I don't care if you're a genius or not! You don't talk crap about other people like that!"

"Netto-kun." Hub placed a hand on his younger sibling's shoulder, stopping him. Sean had ducked behind the office shair when Netto made the threat, though he could already tell that even if Netto were to fight the other boy, it wouldn't get them anywhere. They would probably just end up getting into more trouble than it was worth. "Come on. Let's just hear what else he has to say and be done with it."

"Yes, thank you." Sean agreed.

Hub immediately shot him a glare. "This doesn't mean we're friends. Just say what you have to say and be done with it."

"Fine, jeez." Sean sighed, sitting back onto his office chair. "Alright, here's the deal, I've highlighted three of the most likely locations where the dealings might be happening. It's marked on the map data, which I'm sending over to your PETs right now." As he said this, Sean pressed several more keys on his laptop. Both Netto and Hub's PETs beeped once.

"Alright. I've got it." X spoke out from the device.

"Good!" Sean nodded. "Now, what I need the two of you to do is decide which of the locations you want to check out!" The boy then tilted his head. "If you do manage to run into some of the Navies responsible for handling the Dark Chips, try and get their memory data for me, alright? It'll make it much easier for me to track down the Dark Soul in the future."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Netto just wanted the encounter to be done and over with. As the boy tapped open the map data on his PET, however, he noticed something. "Hey- Why's this one place's crossed out?"

"What?" Sean raised an eyebrow, confused. He opened the map data on his own laptop, before slapping himself on the side of his head in realization as he recalled something. "Ah! That's right! Enzan and Blues are heading over towards that location already!"

"What?" Hub grew slightly concerned upon hearing that. He knew that both Enzan and Blues prefered to work alone, but considering how likely it was for them to run into Dark Chip wielding Navies in the area, and how powerful those chips can make NetNavies… "Are they going to be okay?"

"Eh, who knows?" Sean just shrugged. "Besides, it's none of my business how they want to get things done, right?"

The two Hikari twins just gave each other a bright look, before Netto frowned and looked back down onto the map data. "Right… I suppose we'll check out this location, with the large platform and floaty things."

"Great! I'll just make that down for you so you don't forget." Sean grinned. Then, turning back to his work, Sean waved them off once more. "Well, I'm going to keep looking for possible leads here. You two call me if you find anything interesting!"


	250. Chapter 207

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I want to buy a nintendo switch so bad now, but they're like 3000 HKD. I can buy a second hand one for 2000 HKD, but that's still like 36 commissions worth of cash. And I just want to play some tetris. I might be able to sell the other games on amazon or something if people sell them as a package and make back some of the money, but I'm still not sure whether to get it or not. I might not have time to play as much tetris as I want anyways, so maybe not.

"So, this is the place?"

"The coordinates matches those of the map, Enzan-sama." Blues nodded.

Enzan frowned as he surveyed the area through his PET. "It looks just like any other ordinary warehouse."

"It would appear so." Blues agreed, though neither of them were convinced of that fact. Perhaps the scene of a large warehouse would be less suspicious if the structure were built in some remote part of the surface net, but considering that this was the Undernet, and that no one in their right mind would store their wares in the Undernet were Navies practically turn a blind eye to the law, both Navi and operator were highly dubious that the warehouse looked as innocent as it seemed.

"Proceed with caution, Blues." Enzan said, narrowing his eyes. "Something feels off about this place, and I'm not sure I like it."

"Of course." Blues cast a quick glance over the structure, trying to see if there were any entrances he could slip into the building through. He settled on one of the half-closed windows near the top of the warehouse, and with a running start, he jumped, ran up the side of the structure with several quick steps, before flinging himself through the opening and landed with a soft thud inside of the warehouse. The area inside was dark, with the dim lights flickering on and off every so often. Blues narrowed his eyes. "The warehouse seems empty so far." The Navi reported, seeing nothing of interest in the storage room he ended up in.

"They might have moved everything they had in the warehouse originally once they realized we were investigating the chip shop they were using to distribute the Dark Chips." Enzan reasoned, frowning in thought. "But let's search the area anyways- There might be something left that they overlooked. It could be useful evidence in the future."

"On it." Making his way to the door, the Navi placed his ear against the sheet of metal, making sure that there wasn't anyone just on the other side waiting in ambush, before pushing the door open. The door made a loud creaking sound that echoed through the empty hallway of the warehouse, and a quick glance told Blues that the hallway led to more storage rooms. He was going to have to investigate each and every single one of them to make sure he didn't miss anything.

"...Blues." Somewhere during Blues' search through the third empty storage room, his operator had spoke up. "There's something that's been bugging me ever since those Undernet Navies offered to help us find the Dark Soul."

"What is it, Enzan-sama?" Blues asked.

"Those Undernet Navies seem to be cooperating with us for now." Enzan spoke, almost as if he was thinking out loud. "But… I still can't help but wonder why."

His Navi nodded in understanding. It was something that had been troubling him, too. "That Shadowman is the Blue Myth's subservient. Perhaps that's why he's offered to help us out."

"Right." Enzan agreed, though there was still a hint of doubt in his voice; Undernet Navies weren't known for their compassion or loyalty. There had been many cases of subservients turning on their masters the second the opportunity presents itself, either out of spite, or unwillingness to serve their masters anymore. "But what about the other two? There's no reason for either of them to get involved. So what are they doing?"

Blues fell quiet as he considered the question. Despite what his rationality told him, the red Navi couldn't help but notice the intimacy of the Blue Myth's and the Black Shadow's interaction, shortly after Alpha had been defeated. There seemed to be something more to their relationship that Blues just couldn't quite place a finger on. Of course, he had his own suspicions of what the true relationship between those two NetNavies were, but the thought of it was so ridiculous and outrageous that he dared not voice it.

And as for Swallowman… Well, he was just… being Swallowman.

"... I don't know." Blues said after a while, when the silence was beginning to get awkward.

Enzan just sighed. "I guess we won't know." The boy admitted. "For now, we can't do anything other than to keep our guards up; I don't trust those Undernet Naives enough to turn my back towards them. They could be planning something."

His Navi just nodded in agreement. He didn't trust those three Undernet Navies either, but with no way to hold them accountable, there wasn't much else they could do other than to keep them at arm's length.

"...Hm?" Blues had just finished inspecting the fifth or sixth storage room when he saw it; The moment he opened the metal door, he was greeted by the sight of several large containers, each piled on top of the other. The Navi went on high alert immediately.

"Blues. Go check that out. But be careful." Enzan was suspecting something as well.

"Of course, Enzan-sama." Cautiously, Blues approached the containers, activating his scanner to see if he could determine what was inside of them. When the results came up null, the Navi concluded that whatever was inside of the containers wasn't active. Summoning his sword, Blues managed to pry off the lid of one of the containers, the lid falling onto the ground with a heavy  _thump_. When he saw what was inside, Blues hadn't managed to contain his shock and took a step back wearily. "Enzan-sama! These containers must all be full of Dark Chips!"

"They were storig the Dark Chips here all along." Enzan cursed quietly. "We need to relay this back to SciLabs at once. Perhaps Sean can use this information to help narrow down the locations where these chips originated from."

"I-" Blues' response was cut short as he attempted to take another step backwards, the unnerving aura that the Dark Chips were giving out a bit too overwhelming for the red Navi to handle up close. Instead of solid ground, however, his foot landed in something soft and giving, throwing Blues into another state of alertness. "What the-"

Looking down, panic instantly shot through his systems when he realized that he was stepping in sand. Reacting out of instinct and fear, Blues jumped upwards, just before a gigantic hand made out of sand reached up to grab him, narrowly missing him by inches. Landing back on solid ground, Blues took a moment to steady himself as a large, familiar figure rose up from the sand, its hollow red eyes searching the room for a moment before landing on him with a crooked grin.

" **Hrn… You evaded my ambush…"**  Desertman appeared more amused than surprised.  **"You're not as dumb as you look…"**

"So you're the one they sent to guard this place?" Enzan asked, getting his Battle Chip folder ready should a battle occur, which the boy highly suspected it would.

" **...Guard…?"**  The Navi seemed to have actual difficulty wrapping his mind around the idea.  **"...I was not sent here to guard anything… I'm here to destroy you!"**

With a rumble, Desertman raised his fist once more, this time turning it into the shape of a lion's head, before sending it flying towards the other Navi. Blues side stepped out of the way, and the Lion Head exploded into sand and dust with a long  _bang_  as it collided against the wall.

"Nice try!" Blues recovered quickly, turning to face the sand Navi again.

"But we already know what makes you tick!" Enzan took out three of his Battle Chips quickly- Having watched all of the N2 episodes in preparation of facing possible opponents, Enzan had thoroughly analyzed how X and Zero managed to defeat the sand Navi the during their match in the tournament. The boy realized that he needed to strike Desertman down, hard and fast, before the san Navi had a chance to skin back into the sand and disappear. "Blues! Programme Advance!"

"Beta Sword!" As he accepted the chip data, Blues dashed forward, jumping over the sand towards Desertman before the Navi could recover from his previous attack. His quickly reaction had evidently caught Desertman off guard, and the sand Navi was struck, screeching as the Program Advance tore through nearly half of his body before he could retreat back into the sand. When he emerged again, there was a large, visible gasp in his form.

" **Hrr… Hnnnghrn…"**  Desertman's crooked grin had shifted into a dangerous scowl.  **"You… You annoying, little pest…"**

Blues was unfazed by his words. "You're one to talk." Raising his sword, the Navi stepped forward, preparing to land the final blow, but falter slightly when he took notice of the strange smirk on Desertman's expression. He paused, growing weary- Was there another ambush?

" **Hrn… You fool... "**  Desertman's laugh sounded more like a rumble, the storage room vibrating softly in its wake.  **"You think I'll fall so easily like the last time…?"**

Before Blues could say anything in return, Desertman's hand emerged from the sand, and Blues' eyes widened from behind his visor; It was a Dark Chip!

" **With this, you'll be nothing more than a mere insect!"**  Desertman's broken smile had grown even wider- if that was possible- as he activated the Dark Chip. Swirls of dark energy was expelled from the chip, and quickly seeped itself into Deserman, the sand Navi howling as the dark power crackled madly. Blues took a step back, mentally preparing himself for an uphill battle with the dark power infused Navi. When Desertman recovered from his shock, his eyes were now glowing a dark shade of purple, and more of the sand was being expelled from his body.

" **Hehehehehe…"**  As the sand Navi cackled, small trails of sand seemed to seep in through the ceiling, coating the floor with its hazard.  **"...Now, let's see who's got who figured out!"**


	251. Chapter 208 (Rematch: Desertman)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I mean… If you give creative freedom to the users to create skins for the characters and one of them happens to have a really long and thick neck you can't really fault me for drawing a penis over them as a skin.

Desertman raised his hand, taking another swipe at Blues. This time, the Naiv just barely managed to duck out of the way whilst avoiding the sand that resulted from the attack. Blues cursed quietly when he realized that he was going to have to deal with the problem of the room being covered in sand in less than several moments time.

"He's recovered using the Dark Chip!" Enzan took out another Battle Chip. "We need to strike him down again!"

"Variant Sword!" Blues aimed for Desertman's main body again as he received the chip data. As he swung his weapon, the sword change shape, sending a slash of wave that flew directly towards Desertman.

Seeing the oncoming attack, Desertmani just smiled his crooked grin. He raised both hands.  **"Desert Mirage!"**

From the sand, two large pillars made out of sandstone emerged, blocking the wave of energy from Blues' sword as the attack collided with them. When the smoke cleared, Blues noticed that the sandstone pillars had not broken. Instead, the two crimson orbs on top of both pillars appear to be pulsing ominously.

" **Hehehe… You've had your turn…"**  Desertman cackled, raising his body slightly.  **"But now, it's my turn!"**

As he finished, both orbs began to flash brightly in unison, and Blues was shocked as the dimensions of the room began to twist and turn, fading away into nothing, before being replaced by a seemingly endless vastness of desert. Desertman was changing the environment, somehow.

" **Lion Head!"**  With another roar, Desertman attacked again, this time sending one of his sand lions after the Navi. As the lion got near, Blues swung his sword at it, expecting to cut it off mid-charge. Instead, his sword had passed through the form of the lion completely, as if he had sliced through thin air.

"What the fu-"

Before he could get the last syllable out, a force had slammed into him from the side, knocking the air out of his lungs. Reeling in pain and shock, Blues barely managed to stop his fall face-first into the quicksand. Even so, it was getting rather difficult to remain standing on the shifting sand. "What the heck was that?" Blues wheezed as he clutched his chest. He was certain that he'd slashed at the lion coming for him, but his sword just fell through thin air!

" **Hehehe…"**  Desertman was laughing. The sand seemed to vibrate slightly with his voice.  **Not so tough now, are you…?"**

The orbs on top of the two pillars flashed once more, and Desertman raised both his hands, summoning another attack.  **"Desert Tomb!"**

Instantly, giant blocks started to manifest out of nowhere mid-air. Blues had seen this attack before, so the red Navi was prepared when the cubical stones began to fall and pummel the area. As one of the stones threatened to crush him, the Navi slashed his sword at the threat, only to have it pass through its target harmlessly once more.

This time, Blues was somewhat less surprised when he felt another force strike him from behind, but he had only barely managed to stop himself from yelling out at the sharp pain. He got back onto his knees, only to have another stone block coming straight towards him from above.

"Blues! Watch out!" Fortunately, Enzan had foresaw the threat and reacted, slotting in a Battle Chip for his Navi. "Area Steal!"

In a quick flash of light, Blues had disappeared. As all the cubes gradually fell onto the sand with deafening rumbles, Blues reappeared mid air, landing on top of one of the cubical blocks. The Navi winced as the motion disturbed his wound.

"Blues, what happened?" Enzan asked, frowning. It wasn't like his Navi to miss all of his attacks like that!

"I'm sorry, Enzan-sama." The Naiv apologize. "I'm reassessing the situation right now."

Activating his scanners, Blues attempted to figure out what was happening; He could see each of Desertman's attacks coming, clear as day, but for some reason, none of his shots were connecting!

" **Hehehe! You're nothing but an insect that's fallen into my trap!"**  Desertman howled with laughter. He raised one of his hands, forming it into a lion's head.  **"Have some more of this!"**

This time, Blues didn't bother engaging the lion head-on. Instead, the Navi merely leapt from the block he was standing onto another one to avoid the attack. As he watched the lion shot past him, however, his scanners picked up something that made him raise an eyebrow. "Enzan-sama, my scanner is picking up some discrepancy between my visual and audio feedback."

"What?" Enzan knew that could only mean two things. Either his Navi's sensory program was malfunctioning, which would explain why none of Blues' attack had been landing. And the other-

"It's those two orbs." Enzan realized. "He's making an actual mirage. Some of what you see might not be true, Blues. You know what to do."

"I understand." Blues nodded. Then, he activated one of his internal programs. "Blind mode!"

His visor then shut down, and the Navi was no longer able to see through his visual sensory program. Desertman appeared to have caught onto this development as well.

" **Blind mode…?"**  Although Desertman's expression remained unchanged, his voice was audibly confused, though it quickly shifted into amusement.  **"Hehehe! Blind mode? Don't make me laugh! How are you going to fight when you're as blind as a bat?"**

Blues ignored him. Instead, the Navi focused solely on what his audio sensory program was telling him; He could hear the reverberations as Desertman's voice bounced off of the solid, cubical stones still scattered throughout the area. He could hear the sifting movements of the quicksand as they moved and threatened to engulf anything in their path.

" **I've had enough of your nonsense!"**  As Desertman spoke, the sand Navi dragged his body towards where Blues was standing, believing that the red Navi would not be able to see him approach. He raised one hand over his head, preparing to strike down onto the still unmoving Navi.  **"Now, you die!"**

"Now's our chance!" Just as Desertman was about to strike, Enzan slotted in another Battle Chip. "Paladin Sword!"

Blues could hear the movements of air and sand as Desertman approached him, and as the sand Navi brought his hand down onto him. He knew exactly where everything was, thanks to the audio feedback. Leaping over Desertman's hand effortlessly, Blues activated the chip data, summoning his Paladin Sword. Desertman only had a moment to widen his eyes in shock as the red Navi dashed towards him, weapon at the ready.  **"Wh-what?! How-"**

He was cut off by the sound of his own screech as Blues dragged his sword across his body, splitting him and the two sandstone pillars behind him clean in half in one fell swoop. Desertman's body fell apart quickly, deteriorating into nothing more than mere chunks of sand, and the illusion from his Desert Mirage faded just as swiftly, revealing the area to be nothing more than a simple storage room with several stacked containers in it, albeit now filled with a thin layer of sand on the floor. Blues deactivate blind mode, blinking several times to allow his eyes to readjust, before his gaze fell upon the small pile of containers he knew was filled with Dark Chips once more. "The enemy has been neutralized, Enzan-sama. I'm taking the containers back for analysis."

"Good job, Blues." his operator nodded. "Let's-"

" **..rrrRHNGHH!"**

He was cut off by a loud rumble. With a heave, Desertman emerged from the sand, his body broken and falling apart, but the Navi was still functional so far.  **"hNrgh... NRGH…! This isn't over… yet…!"**

"Still not deleted?"Blues scowled, He stepped forward with his sword once more. "I'll just strike you down once more!"

" **Hehehe… hehehEHEHEHE…!"**  For some strange reason, Desertman seemed oddly unconcerned. His hollow eyes appeared to be glazed over as he slouched.  **"No… No… HeheheHEHEhe! No, you won't...!"**

Before Blues can do anything else, the sand surrounding the small box containers rose abruptly, and began to cover the containers. Blues could only widen his eyes in realization behind his visor as the containers slowly started to sink into the sand.

" **...hehEHEHEHE…!"**  Desertman was already laughing, his voice causing the walls to vibrate slightly.  **"...Soon, I'll have all the Dark Chips in the entire world… And I'll become more powerful than you can imagine!"**


	252. Chapter 209

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Apparently, my mom really, really liked Zuko from The Last Airbender. She said it's because his scar was cool or something. We ended up watching the movie version and I kept on going about how bad it was.

Desertman's form was changing, the sand made up his body shifting and forming into large spikes as he consumed the last of the Dark Chips. Claws now sprouted from the fingertips of his hands, and as the sand Navi grinned, sharp edges of fangs now alined his giant mouth. Blues narrowed his eyes; Desertman's new transformation reminded him of an antlion, somehow.

" **heHeHEehHE…"**  Desertman's voice became distant and distorted, the faint sound of crumbling sandstone accompanying his voice as he spoke.  **"I cAN feEL it… So MUch PoWer…"**

"Enzan-sama, this isn't good." Blues' scanner was already picking up a sudden spike in energy levels; That in itself wasn't a surprise, considering Desertman had down several containers worth of Dark Chips. What concerned him was the sort of havoc the Navi could unleash now that he basically had the combined powers of at least a couple hundred of the chips combined.

Being and net police officer, Blues had come into contact with several Navies that had consumed these Dark Chips before, and had read the reports concerning the effects these chips had on its victims. As much as it hurt his pride, Blues knew there was no way he was going to win this one now- Not by charging in head first and fighting the Navi head-on, at least.

"Retreat for now!" Enzan came to the same conclusion his Navi had. The boy wasn't about to let his Navi get deleted- He'll deal with their damaged pride later.

" **LeAviNG so SOon?"**  As Blues made a dash towards the door, Desertman acted. The san Navi raised a hand, his broken grin widening.  **"SAND TOMB!"**

The ground jerked and cracked underneath Blues' feet, and pillars of sand shot shout from within the craters. The red Navi cursed and he ducked out of the way of the sand, before slipping out into the hallway before his path could be blocked. With a quick glance both ways, Blues regained his bearings, and began retracing his steps back to the open window where he'd entered the warehouse from, all the while hearing the deranged laughter of the san Navi echo through the hallways, hot on his trail. He was about halfway to his destination, before the ceiling above him collapsed, and several sandstone blocks landed directly in front of him, cutting off his exit.

" **HehehEHHEHE! WhATS the MAtter?!"**  Turning back around, Blues nearly took a step back in terror when he saw Desertman rapidly closing the distance between them as he crawled, his giant claws tearing holes into the floor and walls, causing more sand to spew in as he forced his way through the narrow hallway.  **"AfRAId of a LITtle SAND?!"**

Blues rolled out of the way, just as Desrtman's fist came crashing down upon him. The ground jolted with a deafening  _boom_ , and Blues made a split-second decision, turning the corner and running down another corridor instead of trying to pry the huge sandstone blocks open; The red Navi wasn't even sure he would get the opportunity to break the stone blocks without Desertman attacking him point blank. The Navi decided that he was better and safer off putting as much distance between him and the crazed Desertman and trying to find another way out of the area.

" **CowARD! Get BacK HerE!"**

Blues ignored the disturbing screech, focusing his efforts on running. He quickly came up to the end of the hallway, where a singular door lied. Blues kicked the door wide open, and upon stepping into the room, he realized in horror that the room was completely boxed-in. There was no windows, or other doors that he could exit from. Only the door that he'd entered through… Which was now being blocked by Desertman.

" **I'vE got YoU NOw…"**  The sand Navi wheezed as he squeezed his way in through the doorway.  **"Now… yOu DIE!"**

Blues ducked underneath the first swipe of Desertman's fist. The Navi attempted to leave through the way he came in, but Desertman must have saw his intentions. With a low screech, the san Navi summoned another giant sandstone block to land in front of the doorway, effectively sealing the entire room off.

" **HeheEHheHE…!"**  With his victim trapped, Desertman saw no need for haste, and began to shuffle slowly towards his supposed prey, his slouched posture and distorted laugh quite unnatural and unnerving.  **"No WheRE for You to RuN noW…"**

Gritting his teeth, Blues summoned his sword and stepped to face Desertman. "Enzan-sama. It appears we would need to find our way out of this one."

"Blues, wait." The boy stopped his Navi before he could lunge. "...I'm not sure what it is, but something's not right with him…"

His Navi was confused for a second, before he caught onto what his operator had meant. It was barely noticeable at first, but when the Navi listened closely, the sand Navi appeared to be… wheezing? Almost as if he was in pain. And there were also small specks of purple dust sprinkled within the sand that made up the Navi's body… That wasn't there before, was it?

"Something's up." Enzan told his Navi. "Something's getting to him. Do not confront him directly, Blues. We might be able to stall him out."

The Navi nodded in agreement. Not realizing that something was amiss, Desertman swung for Blues once more, though the red Navi merely leapt back, getting out of harm's way. As the sand Navi missed his target, his form wobbled, back and forth, as if he was trying to regain his balance. For a second, Blue suspected that he had been about to fall before the Navi caught himself at the last moment.

" **CheEky lITtle shIT…"**  Desertman groaned, his hollow eyes scanning the area for the other Navi.  **"Stop RunNINg and jUSt DIE AlrEADy!"**

Desertman was howling as he began to blindly swing his fists at Blues, hoping that at least one of them would hit their mark. Taking advantage of his opponent's disorientated mind, Blues dodged out of the way of each attack swiftly, but otherwise avoided any sort of confrontation with the sand Navi.

His lack of success in striking the red Navi down only seemed to make Desertman more frustrated and angry. He screeched and yelled, each of his swings appearing to get increasingly desperate as he attempted to hit the smaller Navi. By now, Blues could see that Desertman's form was deteriorating; Large chunks of sand were crumbling off from Desertman, while the rest of his body was corroded by the strange, purple powder. As the purple dust began to eat up Desertman's body, the Navi's attacks slowly grew weaker and weaker, until the Navi collapsed into a small pile of sand near the center of the room.

" **No… My power… What is happeni…"**

Desertman's entire body was stained a sickly purple at this point, before his form broke down entirely and faded away into nothing. Blues started in mild shock at the quick turn of events. As the sand Navi was deleted, the stone blocks stopping his exit also disappearing into nothing more than broken pieces of data as well, leaving his path wide open once more.

"Enzan-sama… Did you know that would happen?" Blues asked, still somewhat uncertain about what had just occured.

"Unfortunately, no." The boy shook his head. "...It was just weird, the way his power had spiked after consuming all of those Dark Chips, but then quickly becoming tired and overburdened when he cornered us into the room… It was strange to me. And I took a gamble."

Blues nodded, thankful for his operator's quick thinking. "Whatever that was… It must have something to do with those Dark Chips he consumed."

"You're right." Enzan agreed. "Blues, exit the area and plug out. We weren't able to retrieve any Dark Chips, but perhaps Sean can tell us about what just happened…"


	253. AUWEITSBR3 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Well, here it is. The long-awaited third spinoff to LGOTN. There's not much disclaimer needed for this one, other than it's basically an AU of the original Battle Network series. Hope you all enjoy this new spinoff.

_It is the year 20XX, and technology has become an integral part of daily life. Along with the rise of technology, the cyberworld was created as a means for instantaneous transmission of data and information. In order to help them navigate the newly-created cyber world, humans created NetNavies- Beings that lived in the digital world that helped their human operators traverse the digital world._

_As the digital world started to grow alongside its real-world counterpart, the idea of a global network to link all of the world's cyber societies was developed. Scientists at SciLabs started working day and night tirelessly to see this concept of a fully globalized cyberworld come to fruition._

_However, the prototype of the original network was far from perfect. Due to some unforeseen complications, the prototype network known as "Alpha" had gained awareness, and started to devourer any and all network societies it came into contact with. The Elite Guards of SciLabs had been sent in an attempt to stop the rampaging network, but once they entered into the networks Alpha had control over, the static field emitted by the network blocked any of their attempts at contacting their operator. Disoriented and disorganized, the Navies all fell prey to the original network, quickly being consumed into Alpha's ever-growing mass._

_Both network and human society was on the brink of destruction, and it was only due to the quick thinking of one of the scientists at Scilabs that had saved the world from this doom. Upon realizing that human-operated NetNavies would be ineffective against Alpha due to the static field it emitted, the scientist, in a spur of inspiration, decided to create the world's first fully independent NetNavi; A NetNavi that could think, act, and make their own decisions on their own, and moments following the Navi's activation, the Navi was sent in to defeat Alpha._

_The original network had consumed the majority of the city's cyberworlds at this point, and since no signal can get through the network's static field, everyone waited with bated breath for any sign from within the original network._

_Hours later, the scientists all cheered as Alpha crumbled and the navi emerged, victorious. As they worked on the newer and much safer version of the global network, the remnants of Alpha were all tossed into the Undernet, never to be seen again…_

* * *

"It's really an honor that you allowed us to report on the newly developed security system on SciLabs, doctor... "

"Doctor Regal." The man smiled, before nodding to the other scientist next to him. "And this is my college, doctor Hikari."

"Doctor Regal and doctor Hikari." The reporter smiled. She quickly double-checked to make sure that the camera was still filming, before continuing. "So,what can you tell us about this new security system that SciLabs developed?"

"Well, the new security systems that are currently implemented here at SciLabs is actually designed by both myself and doctor Hikari." Doctor Regal spoke matter-of-factly as his smile fell. "We created the system as a response to the growing concerns of cyber world crime."

"What sort of cyber world crime?" The reporter decided to ask for clarification.

"As you may know, a lot of information are no longer stored through physical means. Rather, they are replaced by the more convenient and easily accessible form of digital data." The doctor began explaining. "However, while the cyberworld provides us with a virtually endless and instantaneous method of storing and retrieving data, this can also be particularly devastating, should there be a security breach in the data banks where such information is being kept." The man then turned to one of the screens lining the walls, where some of SciLab's schematics were being shown. He continued on, almost thoughtfully. "Should a person, let's say, happens to hack into a company's data banks through one way or another, they would have access to all of the company's data logs. They could decimate the entire company if they so chose. Now, imagine if the same thing were to happen, but the person has hacked into a systems which enables them to control some of the world's most dangerous weapons." At this, doctor Regal turned back to face the reporter. "This is why we've decided to develop this new security system. As soon as the final stages of testing are complete, we'll begin implementing it into all of the city's major computer systems to protect them from possible breaches."

"That's amazing!" The reporter was visibly impressed. "But, how does the system work, specifically?"

"I'm glad you asked." Doctor Regal looked at his college, who was now at one of the consules underneath the main monitor. "Doctor Hikari, would you mind telling them about the specifics regarding the security system?"

"Of course." The doctor smiled, motioning for the other two people in the room to come towards where he was standing. "As you can see on the screen, the system is divided into three parts. During any normal circumstances, all three of these systems remain open to allow data to flow through per usual, so the original functions of the systems wouldn't be obstructed. However-"

Whatever the man was about to say next was cut off by the sudden sound of a loud siren blaring. The reporter nearly jumped back in surprise. "Wh-what happened?"

"An unauthorized access has been detected at the outer layer!" Pressing several keys on the panel, doctor Hikari brought up the current status of the systems. "The first layer of the system is designed to register any unauthorized access and trigger the the defence mechanism built into the system."

"Defense mechanism?"

"The first section of the systems is a gigantic firewall." Doctor Hikari quickly explained, still monitoring the system. "As soon as the defence mechanism is triggered, the fire wall comes up immediately, blocking of any access to protect the system. We've tested the response time, and it's quick enough that it's very difficult that someone would be able to slip in once the defence mechanism has been triggered."

He pulled up the live footage of the cyber world onto another screen to show the reporter what he'd meant- The large form of the firewall was quickly forming, blocking out any possible entry points deeper into the system.

"Th-that's incredible!" The reporter couldn't quite suppress a grin at that sight, before she noticed something. "A-ah! Something just slipped through the firewall!"

"What?" Doctor Hikari replayed the last several seconds of the footage. True to her words, there was the distinct form of a Navi that had slipped in, just before the firewall could form fully. "Darn!"

"Don't worry." Doctor Regal spoke up. The man appeared strangely unbothered by this development. "There's still two layers of the security system. Whoever they are, we'll stop them at the second layer."

The reporter turned to doctor Regal. "T-the second layer…?"

"The second layer of the system is designed as a kill box." Doctor regal explained calmly. "Should the intruder be fortunate enough to get through the first layer, the second layer acts as a failsafe."

From the live feed, all three of them saw that some of the panels on the walls retracted, and a line of turrets revealed themselves, immediately opening fire on the intruder in unison. Large clouds of smoke resulted in the onslot, though as the dust settled, the form of the Navi emerged, one of their arms formed into a sword. As the Navi made a mad dash across the area, they deflected each of the energy shots coming toward them back, many of the turrets exploding upon impact.

"I-it's no use! They've made it past the second layer, too!" The reporter was getting anxious.

"No." Doctor Regal spoke again, though his voice was audiably more strained that it had been moments prior. "It's not lost. They still have yet to make it past the final layer."

"And that's…?"

"An electromagnetic forcefield." Doctor Hikari spoke up this time. "It's activated the moment the system is triggered, and it won't come down without an authorized manual input. If they try to ram the forcefield, they'll end up deleting themselves-"

_Kh-Chhhhrrrnnn…_

"Wh-what was that?" The reporter yelped, jumping back slightly as all of the lights in the room flickered off for a split second. "What just happened?"

This time, neither of the scientists replied. Instead, both of them just stared in shock at the figure of the NetNavi, somehow now  _inside_  of the forcefield, and aiming their buster at the core programme.

The Navi smirked.

"Boom."


	254. AUWEITSBR3 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: You get a double upload on this AU because a bunch of my readers ended up hyping me up for more of this AU after the first chapter went up. Also, sorry for the choppy upload schedule, as I've received some off-site commissions for the moment. (I want the money guys I'm sorry)

"Aaaaaah!"

The reporter had screamed and ducked her head, expecting an explosion of some sort. When she realized nothing had happened after a prolonged amount of silence, she hesitantly reopened her eyes. "We're… We're okay?"

"It's fine." Strangely, doctor Hikari was smiling now. A stark contrast to his nervousness just moments prior.

"B-but what about the system?" Hadn't the intruder fired their weapon at the core program? "Is it alright?"

"No- It's not damaged." Doctor Regal sighed. "Think of that hiccup as just a… an unscheduled testing for the system."

"You can think of this as whatever you wish, doctor." This third voice had came from the computer itself, and it startled the reporter. "But however you want to say it, I'm sorry to say that this system did not pass."

The electromagnetic field gave one last crackle before fading from existence, revealing the Navi within it. The core was still intact. Undamaged. Doctor Regal's expression remained stoic, while doctor Hikari just shook his head in bemusement. "What do you mean?" Doctor Regal asked.

"What I  _mean_ , is that your security system is a no-go." The Navi crossed his arms. "I'm sending it back to the drawing board, doctor. It's an upgrade from the current system, for sure, but it's a horrendous upgrade. I'm not going to authorize it for public use."

"I- I'm sorry…" By now, the reporter was realizing that the Navi was no longer a threat. "But… Who exactly is this NetNavi…?"

"Ah- Sorry for scaring you." Doctor Hikari offered her an apologetic smile. "Miss Midorikawa, meet Forte, one of SciLab's most important assets."

"Forte-" It took the reporter only a second to realize who this NetNavi was. "The world's first fully independent NetNavi?"

"The one and only." The Navi shot her a quick grin from the display screen.

"You're the Navi that defeated Alpha and saved network society from destruction!" The reporter was actually stunned silent- She knew about what the Navi had done, but she never thought she would be able to meet him in person.

"Something like that." The Navi acknowledged.

"I can't believe it!" The reporter was beaming at this point. "It's- It's an honor to meet the hero who saved the cyberworld!"

"So… Forte." Doctor Hikari interjected when he noticed the Navi wasn't interested in continuing that particular conversation. "How exactly did you get through each of the layers of the system?"

"It's quite simple, actually." Forte's demeanor changed almost instantly. "There's a surprising number of flaws in the system, as long as you know where to look. But the most obvious is the firewall that's supposed to protect the entire system to begin with doesn't come up until it's much too late."

"That's impossible." Doctor Regal frowned. "We tested the response time ourselves. It's as close to instantaneous that one can get."

"Perhaps." Forte merely looked at him. "But did you check for possible blind spots for the scanners to trigger the defense mechanism?"

"..."

The man's silence told Forte all he needed to know. "If you know the areas where the scanners can pick up activity start and stop, as long as you're quick enough, it's not as impossible as it seems to slip in through the firewall as it's coming up."

"As for the kill box… I don't have too much problem with it." Forte continued, tapping his finger with his arms crossed. "But I would suggest replacing the cannons and turrets with viruses."

"Viruses?" His idea confused doctor Hikari greatly. "Doesn't that seem… A bit counter-intuitive?" Unlike NetNavies, viruses were overwhelmingly violent and unpredictable. It was just a needless risk to take, in case the released viruses happened to make their way to the third layer and damaged the core program.

"Viruses are a lot less predictable than turrets." Forte told them. "If you're afraid the viruses won't attack the intruder as instructed, just tag whoever's breaking into the system with Oil Body or Water Body- Or whatever program it is that attracts the type of viruses you end up putting into the system." At this, the Navi shrugged. "There's plenty of opportunities to do that. There's only so many entry points into your system."

"Is that so…?" Doctor Hikari tapped his chin in thought. "...There's one thing that's still alluding me, however- How were you able to surpass the electromagnetic field?"

"With a simple EMP program, doctor." Forte smirked. "Normally, I wouldn't care to go through the effort of acquiring such a program just to prove a point, but considering this is going to be reported on…" At this, the Navi gave the reporter a quick glance. "People are going to be prepared."

"Let me guess." Doctor Regal narrowed his eyes. "You have another suggestion to make?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." Forte met the man's glare. "Use an aura. Sure, it might not electrocute people upon contact, but it's much less likely to be completely shorted out just with an EMP field."

"I see." The man's tone was dubious.

"Doctor Hikari- Does he do this often?" The reporter, Kero Midorikawa, took the opportunity to ask the scientist. While many already knew that Forte was an independent NetNavi, few really knew what the definition implied.

"He does, actually." The man gave her a small smiled as he explained. "We're pretty much gotten used to him jumping in a saying what he has to say regarding whatever project we're currently working on."

"So he just… Gives his own opinion?" The reporter's eyes were wide.

"That's right. Forte's just like any other person." Doctor Hikari nodded. "That's why he's invaluable to SciLab's; Many human operators may not be able to pick up the minute details of network security from the physical world. Having a NetNavi who's capable of providing first-hand insight to these details has saved us from a lot of potential disasters that might have originally been overlooked."

"That's incredible." Kero was beaming. "The scientist that created him must have been a genius."

"Well, yes." Doctor Hikari agreed, though the man appeared somewhat hesitant of the fact. "He was quite the expert programmer."

"My job here's done." Forte just threw both his hands up. "I'm sure you'll be able to take care of the rest here, doctor."

Then, without waiting for a reply, the Navi promptly logged out of the systems.

* * *

Forte sighed as he flopped down onto his sleep cycle station, annoyed and slightly irked. He had been having quite the enjoyable day, actually. Despite what he'd said, the new security program that Doctor Hikari and Doctor Regal had developed actually gave him some trouble. Even so, he always appreciated a challenge. The whole process in breaking down the possible flaws in the systems and proceeding with his break-in attempt had been thrilling, to say the least, and he always enjoyed the look of pure annoyance and anger that doctor Regal had whenever Forte shoved his plans directly back at his face, despite the man's best efforts to hide it- Doctor Hikari was always the better at taking criticism of the two.

When that… That woman had just stared at him, like he was some sort of incredible legend brought to life, however… That had just took all the wind out of his proverbial sails.

The Navi turned and huffed. It always annoyed him to no end, when people did that. Forte knew that the concept of fully independent NetNavies was extremely ground-breaking, especially to those who aren't specialized in the field of technology, but it was just so incredibly patronizing when people keep on getting surprise that, yes; He could actually think and feel for himself, and wasn't just some tool to be used or severant to order around.

"I sure can't wait till the concept of independent Navies become mainstream." Forte mumbled quietly to himself. "Or better yet; For people to produce other independent NetNavies. At least I would have someone else to talk to in this boring-ass place."


	255. Chapter 210

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm always constantly anxious over something… But I don't know what it is. I want to do a lot of things, but I never have enough time to do them all. I just want to draw and write all day.

"Hmm… Oh, that's really interesting…"

"What's so interesting?"

"Huh?" Sean looked up from the data he had been observing on his laptop, sighing dramatically when he saw the two Hikari twins walk in. "Gosh! Don't scare me like that! What if I had a condition? You could've given me a heart attack, or something!"

Hub gave him a dubious look. "You survived an explosion up-front. I think you'll be okay."

"...Fair point." Sean admitted, spinning around in his office chair to face the two siblings, before he seemed to noticed the annoyed expression on their faces. "Geez, what's happened to you two? Somebody killed your dog, or something?"

"What?" Netto raised an eyebrow. "We don't even have a dog!"

"What?" Sean pursed his lips briefly. "That's weird… I could swear you two had a pug or something… Oh, whatever…" The boy shook his head. "Anyways, how did you two's trip to the Undernet go? Anything interesting worth mentioning?"

"No." Hub almost huffed out loud. "The floor panels just cracked and our Navies got dropped into cold water. We had to get them out before they drowned."

"Can NetNavies drown?" Sean seemed more curious than concerned at his own question. "But you're right. That's a lot less interesting than what mister Ijuuin went through here."

"Enzan?" Both boys looked towards the other side of the inn, finally taking notice of the white-haired boy just standing there, looking bored. Hub blinked. That's right- Enzan had went ahead to search for possible leads in one of the three possible locations Sean had pointed them towards! The boy couldn't believe he didn't notice him sooner. "Enzan! How did your search go?"

"Just ran into an old acquaintance of ours." The boy snorted, his arms still crossed.

Netto tilted his head, confused. "An old acquaintance?"

"He means Desertman." Sean waved his hands at the twins as he answered for Enzan. "You know, the one Navi with the operator who hijacked the N2 because his Navi didn't win."

"We know who he is!" Netto had nearly stuck his tongue out at Sean, but he suppressed the urge. He didn't want to give the other boy any more ammunition to talk trash about them than there already is. Instead, he turned back to Enzan. "Too bad I wasn't there to see the battle! You defeated him like he was nothing, didn't you?"

"Something like that." Enzan seemed indifferent to the younger Hikari's enthusiasm.

"Did you find anything interesting?" Hub's tone was hopeful.

"Two things, actually." Sean caught their attention as the boy leapt off his office chair with his laptop in hand. "First, thanks to mister police officer over here, we managed to pinpoint the location where they're been stashing all their Dark Chips ready for distribution for the surface net." Sean explained, walking directly in front of the display screen in the room before turning to face the other boys. "So, we're another step in figuring out where the Dark Soul could be hiding!"

"I see." Hub nodded. "And the other…?"

Sean smirked. "The other… Well, we kind of unintentionally discovered one of the more… devastating side-effects of Dark Chips."

"Don't we know that already?" Netto raised an eyebrow. "Dark Chips make Navies super strong, but also make Navies go insane."

"Did I say devastating?" Sean quickly rephrased his statement. "I mean, an absolutely fascinating side-effect of the Dark Chips!"

Pressing several keys on his laptop, the display screen on the wall lit up, showing the specs of one of the Dark Chips the group had acquired.

"If I may direct your attention to this Dark Chip-" Sean made a conscious decision to clear his throat before continuing. "As you can see, on the outside, it appears like any ordinary chip. Expect for  _here_ \- Do you see that? There's a small pocket of data contained right here, near the center of the chip."

"That's usually the place where the chip data is stored." Enzan told the two Hikari twins, seeing the confused look on their faces.

"But look here." The image of the Dark Chip was zoomed. "...Right there. See that extra attachment data that's on top of the regular, boring Battle Chip data?"

"I'm guess that's where the dark power in the chip's being kept?" Hub frowned, unsure of where this whole spiel was going.

"That's a very good observation, mister Hikari!" Sean beamed, speaking in a somewhat condescending tone. "Anyways… That's small piece of data just a teeny, tiny little dose is enough to make a Navi go absolutely berserk with power… How fascinating is that?"

"Okay…?" Netto was just as lost as his elder sibling at this point. "And…?"

"And apparently, someone decided that this small dose of digital steroid isn't enough." Sean then spread both his arms wide, as if to make a point. "So, they consumed  _three entire crates_  of Dark Chips!"

"That's-" Hub's mind made the connection instantly- Sean had said that Enzan's trip to the Undernet was what yielded this discovery- Whatever it was- So the Navi that had absorbed three crateful worth of Dark Chips had to be Desertman! "How did you manage to defeat him?" Hub's shock and surprise was fully visible as the boy stared at Enzan.

"He didn't need to!" Sean answered for Enzan. "Because he ended up deleting himself by doing so!"

"Deleting himself?" Netto's suspicion was obvious. "Why would he just delete himself? If he's got that much dark power in his systems, he's basically become the strongest NetNavi in the world! Why didn't he just attack Enzan and Blues just then and there? ...No offense." The boy said to Enzan, a bit sheepishly near the end of his question.

Enzan just narrowed his eyes.

"You know, mere moments ago, I was just like you." Sean put both hands on his hips. "I didn't believe him when mister net police officer over here told me about Desertman deleting himself after absorbing all of those Dark Chips. I thought he just wanted to look cool, or justified, or something. But I discovered something after running some tests." The boy paused, puffing his chest up. When no one spoke, he glance at the two Hikari twins. "Ask me what it is."

"...And… What did you find…?" Hub reluctantly decided to play along.

"So glad you asked!" Sean nodded approvingly at him. "I discovered… That NetNavies' frames aren't able to hold so much dark power all at once! They might be fine at first, but the longer their frames are exposed to the Dark Chip, the more their frames begin to break down, until they're nothing more than just pieces of scrap data!"

"So that's why Desertman deleted himself?" Netto looked in between Enzan and Sean for a moment. "He consumed too much dark power at once, and his frame broke down because of it."

"Yup! But that's only the first implication!" Sean beamed. "The second is that we're now on an even tighter schedule than we thought we were to track down the Dark Soul and stop the distribution of Dark Chips!"

"What?" Netto frowned. "Why?"

"Wait…" Hub seemed to have realized something. "Don't tell me… Because of the Dark Chip, the surface Navies who've consumed these Dark Chips…"

"Yup!" Sean confirmed his suspicions cheerily. "If we don't find the Dark Soul soon, renegade Navies rampaging through the net will be the least of our worries- Soon, there won't even be nearly enough NetNavies to sustain basic functionality of the net, because they'll all be deleted!"

"...Shit!" Netto didn't resist his urge to curse out loud. He hadn't realized there were such serious implications. "Well? What're you waiting for, then? Can't you track down the Dark Soul any quicker?"

"Actually, I was waiting for our third team to get back before starting." Sean said, matter of factly. "Y'know. Wanted to get the full scope of things before chasing down possible false leads and all."

"Third team?" It took Hub a second to remember that there was indeed three possible locations that Sean had pointed them towards while investigating where the Dark Chips were being kept. "Who's the third team?"

Not sooner than he finished speaking, there was a beep coming from the display screen. The screen showing information on the Dark Chip was pushed aside, and Netto gasped out loud when he saw the three Navies who were now on screen.

In contrast, Sean didn't seem surprised in the slightest. "Ah! I was wondering when you guys will show up!" He turned to face the screen, and appeared as if he was about to say something, but something had given him pause. "...Wh… What  _happened_  to you guys?"

It was a shared sentiment among the group of boys. The feathers on Swallowman's wings appeared either disheveled or broken, while half of Forte's cloak seemed to have been scorched with fire. Shadowman was the only Navi out of the three that looked relatively unharmed.

"...Oh, I guess it's still my turn to do the talking?" Swallowman briefly glanced at both Navies besides him. Shadowman was still glaring at Forte, while the latter seemed more annoyed than anything. "Alright then. But don't give me crap when I end up making the two of you look bad!"


	256. Chapter 211

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hurdle requirement tomorrow and a presentation the day after! Yay but not really! Can't I just disappear? Anyways, it's actually getting close to the one-year anniversary of LGOTN! Anyone have any ideas of special things to do? Currently leaning towards a simple Q-and-A because I kind of predict myself to be quite busy during that time, but any suggestions would be nice! c:

"Hey y'all. This is so cool. I get to go on an Undernet trip with the Messenger of Darkness and mister sulky over here. I can't believe it. It's like a childhood dream come true."

Swallowman sighed when both Forte and Shadowman promptly ignored him. Granted, he should have expected that, but it was still insulting how the two Navies were so keen on pretending that he didn't exist! "C'mon, guys! The silence is killing me! Are you two going to say anything?"

"Fine." Shadowman turned to him. "You, shut up."

Swallowman pouted. "Find. Be like that." He placed both hands behind his head casually. "Seriously, though. How long do you two plan on keeping this silent game up? I mean, I don't mind talking for all three of us, but I still need some creative input from you guys!"

Shadowman narrowed his eyes. "I refuse to talk to the person who endangered my Mistress in the first place."

"Okaaay…" Swallowman gave Forte a quick glance. The Navi seemed like he was thoroughly regretting all of his life's decisions.

As the three Undernet Navies arrived on site, all they saw was a large, open field, with dozens of staircases leading to… somewhere. Swallowman looked all over the place. Aside form the ominous-looking stairs, the area seemed empty enough.

"Whaddaya know, nothing here." Swallowman looked back to the other Navies, shurgging. "Let's not waste anymore time here. I'm tired from doing nothing already."

Shadowman gave him an 'are you kidding me?' look, before something must have caught his attention. In a puff of smoke, the shadow Navi had completely disappeared from both Swallowman's and Forte's sights.

"Wh.." Swallowman was baffled, but had gone from aloof to somewhat alert at this point- He knew Shadowman well enough to realize that the Navi didn't do anything without reason. "Shadz? What's wrong? Come on, be cool! Don't leave us hanging!"

The bird Navi had been about to fly off in search for their disappeared ally, but he was suddenly yanked back by one of his wings. Yelping, Swallowman had just enough time to comprehend the fact that Forte had grabbed a handful of his feathers, before several bullets lodged themselves into the aura that shot up over their heads. Frote dissipated his aura and shoved Swallowman aside, the bird Navi losing his balance and falling onto the ground.

"Ouch…" Swallowman rubbed the back of his head as he slowly got back up. "Now that's needlessly rude…"

Instead of responding, Forte instead turned to where the shots had come from. Judging from their tejectrary, Forte scanned the area above them, and sure enough, he spotted a huddled figure, hidden on one of the staircases overhead.

Forte mumbled something under his breath, and Gospel leapt out from his cloak. The dark Navi proceed to motion towards where the unknown Navi was hiding. "Get him."

With a roar, Gospel fired a ball of fire from its jaw, knocking the staircase down. The Navi merely stumbled for a brief moment, before he must have regained his balance, and leapt back onto another set of staircases before he could hit the ground. The deribs of the crumbled structure landed onto the ground with a loud rumble.

"Interesting." The Navi said, his voice somewhat monotone. "But that is the last time you'll catch me off guard."

"Wait, hold on- What's  _happening?_ " Swallowman was baffled by the quick turn of events. He looked towards the new comer as well. And who're  _you?_ "

"Isn't it obvious?" The Navi merely glanced downwards at them. "I'm Mc. fucking awesome-face."

* * *

" _What?_ " Forte turned to Swallowman, giving him a look.

"What?" Swallowman looked back. "Hey, I'm telling the story, which means I get to tell it however I want to."

"That's not what he said."

"Ugh, fine." The bird Navi rolled his eyes. "So, we get ambushed, I ask they guy who he is, and he says…"

* * *

"I'm Searchman." The Navi spoke as he adjusted his scope, "And I'm here to bring the Black Shadow to justice."

Forte was silent. Swallowman gasped out loud. "Man, everyone in the Undernet hates you! What did you do this time?"

"I have never seen this Navi before in my entire life." Forte grit out through clenched teeth.

"It's no use denying your crimes." Searchman spoke over the two NetNavies. "You're responsible for the distribution of Dark Chips in the Sharo network, and I'll stop you before any more harm can be done to its citizens."

"What?" Forte was visibly confused now. The dark Navi had no idea what this Searchman was saying, but he knew he didn't have any time to spend indulging in the other's delusions. He motioned for Gospel to attack again. With a running start, the beast leapt up the flights of staircases with hasty easy, opening its maw to strike- The sight alone would have been enough to scare any lesser NetNavi, but Searchman somehow remained calm as he brought his scope to his right eye.

"I told you before." The Navi spoke as he took aim. "Whatever tricks you throw at me- It'll no longer surprise me."

Then, he fired, the bullet striking Gospel directly in its open mouth. The beast was covered head to tail in bug fragment armor, but it was vulnerable in its jaw, so the counter attack had caused Gospel to recoil and howl in pain, tumbling off the staircase not a moment later. Searchman leapt down from where he was standing to meet the two Navi's on the same level. He raised his scope again.

"Now, you're next."

Searchman fired another bullet at Forte, though the dark Navi just halted the attack by grabbing the bullet in an enclosed fist before it could even strike him. He scoffed. "Bullets? You think I'll be stopped by mere bullets?"

Searchman was unfazed. "Did you think I would have taken on the Messenger of Darkness unprepared?"

The moment he finished, the bullet still inside of Forte's first  _exploded_ , and the dark Navi cursed out loud as his hand along with some parts of his arm and cloak were completely doused in flame.

"Oh no." Forte said as he clutched his hand. "If only I wasn't such a fucking idiot and decided to catch a fucking bullet with my hand. Now I'm crippled."

* * *

"I did  _not_  say that."

"But you totally  _thought_  that." Swallowman insisted. "Look, do you want me to continue the story or not? I already told you not to give me shit for telling the story for you. If you're just going to complain whenever you look bad, then feel free to take over. I don't mind."

At this, the dark Navi closed his eyes, took a deep breath, before exhaling. It was taking all of his will power not to strangle someone, or blow something up right then and there.

"That's what I thought." Swallow huffed and rolled his eyes. "Anyways, where was I…? Oh, yeah, so after Forts got his fucking hand blown off…"


	257. AUWEITSBR3 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hm I'm kind of tired today so this chapter is kind of short and crappy. We'll get into the meat of this AU in the next chapter. Thanks y'all for sticking with me so long.

Forte was watching the news on SciLab's new security program through a projected digital screen several days later. As much as the woman might have annoyed him, Forte had to admit that she was experienced, in that her reporting work was extremely polished, and left no detail untouched.

No, what irked him was how the reporter felt the need to stress his status as an independent NetNavi, and how she seemed to go on about the technological innovation needed to create a Navi capable of their own thoughts when he should really be thought about as a second opinion.

"Still hung up about what happened?"

Forte turned his head, seeing the holographic projection of doctor Hikra. He turned back towards the screen, huffing. "...Somewhat."

"Ah." The doctor seemed to acknowledge his annoyance. "...I'm sorry you had to go through that. I know how much you hate being… Well, gawked at."

"...It's nothing." The Navi sighed, shaking his head. It wasn't as if he could do much about how humans saw him. Besides, it could always have been worse. Similar to much of the human population, the majority of the scientists at SciLabs can't seem to figure out what to make of him. Thought Forte never acknowledged them outright, he often times caught the weary stares they would give him whenever he was around. And it wasn't as if Forte could talk to the other SciLab NetNaives about his discontent; Chances were, they probably saw Forte similar to how their operators perceived him.

In fact, doctor Hikari was probably the only person in SciLabs who saw him as, well, another person. And though he would never admit it out loud, Forte was endlessly grateful for that.

What else is an independent NetNavi to do?

"...Doctor Hikari?"

"Yes?"

Forte squinted. "Do you think there'll be another NetNavi like me?"

The scientist did not reply immediately. Instead, he appeared to ponder the question. "...I'm not sure, Forte." The doctor sighed. "People… They're strange creatures. We're all at once fascinated by whatever potential the future holds, but become deathly scared when it seems that the very same potential is on the brink of coming to fruition. Perhaps, given ten or so more years, but as things stand now…"

"I understand, doctor." Forte had heard enough.

"...I'm sorry, Forte." Doctor Hikari sighed. "I realize when your creator programmed you for the sole purpose of defeating Alpha despite your unique ability to think and feel for yourself, that it wasn't fair for you. I know that it was the only thing he could think of to do, and no one else had any other alternatives… But they'll come around. It might take a while, but they'll soon see that you've only ever wanted to help, alright?"

"I understand, doctor." Despite his skepticism on the man's words, Forte found a small smile tugging at his lips. "...Huh?"

"Forte?" Doctor Hikari noticed his sudden alertness. "Is something wrong?"

"No. Nothing major." The Navi quickly brought up a digital map of SciLab's network. "I've just picked up a small abnormality in the upper levels of SciLab's main computer…"

"It's probably just a bug." The scientist couldn't resist chuckling at Forte's concern over something so minor. "I'm sure it'll be fixed in no time."

"...I'll go check it out." Forte waved the digital map away, then began making his way towards the upper levels of the system. At the back of his mind, the Navi admitted that doctor Hikari was probably right, and that it was most likely nothing more than a simple bug… But something felt off, somehow. It was like an unjustified feeling of suspicion that humans would probably refer to as a 'gut feeling'. So, Forte, being the independent Navi that he was, followed it.

* * *

Forte blinked as soon as he logged into the upper area of the computer. The area was shrouded in darkness, which was an instant red sign for the Navi- All of SciLab's area were kept brightly lit to ensure that the programs that resided all over SciLabs knew where they were going. There was no reason for an area for SciLabs to be dark… Unless someone had come in and deactivated the lights manually.

As a precaution, Forte summoned his buster at the read before proceeding further into the area. Fortunately, it had been one of the sectors that the Navi often frequented during his daily sweep through SciLab's computer systems, so the Navi had no problem navigating the network he'd practically memorized by heart.

Still, the Navi suffled forwards tediously, not wanting to alert any intruders to his presence if there was indeed any. He came to a halt when he noticed a slight reflection of light out of the corner of his eye- Someone else was in the systems with him, and that someone was approaching one of the core systems in this computer.

Forte pointed his buster at the unknown Navi instantly and yelled. "Stay where you are!"

The Navi froze. Realizing that he had been caught, he raised both hands above his head. Forte narrowed his eyes.

"Turn around."

The Navi turned, and Frote frowned. The Navi was unlike any Forte had ever seen before, with celestial markings running down his arms and legs, while a strange, luminous ring surrounded the Navi's upper body and waist. "You are you, and why are you in this part of SciLab's systems?"

The Navi appeared to smirk, but otherwise remained silent.

Forte scowled at the reaction. "Answer me!"

Instead, the Navi's grin just widened. "So, you're the independent Navi that people are talking about…"

Forte twitched. He was really beginning to hate that label. "You have three seconds before I blow your head off your fucking neck."

"I don't think that will be necessary." The Navi said dubiously. "So, how does it feel to be the only Navi who has no need for an operator?"

"Two fucking seconds."

"You see, I think you're about to thank me." With a swing of his hands, the Navi levitated into the air. Suspecting some sort of trick, Forte took his shot immediately, but the Navi merely raised one hand, creating a dark portal in front of himself that consumed Forte's energy blast, protecting him from harm. "You might not know this yet, but there's a place filled with Navies who have no operators of their own, either."

That made Forte pause. A place where Navies had no need for operators?

...No, there was no way that could be true. This Navi had to be blatantly lying. Forte quickly readjusted his aim.

"I can see from the look on your face that you do not believe me, but that matters little." The Navi shrugged, his voice laced with exaggerated disappointment. "Oh, well. You'll learn soon enough."

Forte promptly ignored the Navi's deranged ramblings and began firing shot after shot towards him, though every single one of his attempts were circumvented at the area around the strange Navi seemed to twist in its dimensions, ultimately leaving the Navi unharmed. Forte cursed out loud in a combination of anger and confusion.

"Now's my turn." Raising both hands, the Navi bellowed. "Cosmo Prison!"

Before Forte could react, he felt himself beginning to sink. Looking down, a strange, ominous portal had formed directly underneath his feet, quickly consuming him as he fell deeper and deeper into the hole. "What the shit?!"

He struggled, trying to get out from the dark portal, but his efforts seemed to cause himself to sink faster. As he was about to disappear beneath the dark haze, the strange Navi from before stalked near, before staring down at him with a wicked smirk.

"I hope you enjoy your stay in the Undernet."

That was the last thing Forte could comprehend before he descended into darkness.


	258. Chapter 212 (Searchman)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey guys so this morning I kind of had an existential crises and deleted my main tumblr account which ended up DELETING ALL OF MY OTHER TUMBLR BLOGS so yeah new blog at "lgotn" on tumblr. I'm so sorry this happened.
> 
> Anyways, if anyone miss it- I plan on also making a video briefly talking about the making of LGOTN, how the idea came to be, and how it basically got shelved for over 10 years before I dug it out from the closet and wrote this monstrosity of a fanfic. That being said, if there's anything concerning the story (ie, where it's heading, what I plan to do with in the future, do I have other plans for it after it's completed, or any questions regarding any of the spinoffs...), please let me know by either commenting or dropping me a DM. It'll take me anywhere near a few days to a week to get the video out, so you all have until then to get any questions you have out if you want to hear what I have to say about it.

Forte hissed, clutching his hand. The Navi was still relatively fine as a whole, but half his right arm had been completely blown off from the blast- It would recover in time, but right now, that meant he would have to work around battling without the use of his right hand.

How infuriatingly annoying.

Searchman reloaded his scope without pause, this time aiming his weapon at the dark Navi's head. Not wanting Forte to have a hole blasted through his head, but also not wanting to put himself in the direct line of fire, Swallowman began yelling from afar. "Hold up! You're getting this whole thing mixed up, dude!"

Searchman narrowed his eyes in slight irritation, though that did not stop him from taking his shot. This time, instead of catching the bullet mid air, Forte sidestepped out of the way, and Swallowman yelped, ducking his head when the attack nearly struck him instead.

"What the heck was that?!" Swallowman screamed at the Navi once he regained himself. "Now you're trying to delete me, too?"

"My quarrel is not with you." Searchman was visibly annoyed now. "Seize your ramblings."

As the Navi said this, he pointed his scope towards Swallowman. The bird Navi ducked once more, fully expecting to be shot, but instead, Searchman's bullets all passed over his head harmlessly. Swallowman peaked his eyes open in slight suspicion when he remained unharmed.

"Hah!" Once the bird Navi was certain he was safe, he pointed a finger at Searchman, mocking the Navi. "You missed!"

Searchman's expression remained emotionless. "I never miss."

_Rumble…_

"...Eh?" Swallowman looked upwards when he noticed the small pieces of debris raining down around him, and it took him a moment to realize that searchman had apparently shot all of the primary supports of the giant staircase looming just above his head.

"Holy fuc-"

By the time he realized what had happened and started to run, it was already too late. The entirety of the staircase crashed into him, sending dust flying everywhere. Forte's lower eyelid twitched, but he otherwise remained indifferent.

"...W-wait, I'm okay! I'm totally fine!" Swallowman's muffled voice came from within the large pile of broken data, before it was interrupted by a wince and several coughs. "...No, no, I'm, I'm not okay at all- Ouch, I think one of my wing's broken, fuck…!"

"No more distractions." Forte turned his gaze back towards the Navi, his scope now trained upon him. "It's time you pay for you crimes."

"..." The dark Navi didn't speak at first as he quietly observed his opponent; Despite his own pride, Forte had to admit that he had underestimated this Navi originally, and that had cost him one on his hands. Perhaps he would not have been at a slight disadvantage if he hadn't brushed this Searchman aside like he was just some common Undernet Navi trying to pick a fight he wasn't prepared for, so Forte was now going to take his sweet ass time analyzing how his current opponent fought and exploit any first signs of weakness.

"Nothing to say?" If the Black Shadow's silence unnerved him, Seachman didn't show it. "Fine. Then it's time you go down!"

The Navi fired several bullets in quick succession, and Forte activated his aura, barely flinching when all of the bullets came inches to his face before bouncing harmlessly off the Dream Aura.

' _All of them were aimed directly at my head.'_  Forte narrowed his eyes.  _'So, being accurate is this guy's gimmick, huh?'_

"You can't hide in there forever!" Searchman appeared to switch something out from his scope before he brought it to his eye again. "How about this?"

This time, only a singular shot was fired, and Forte's eyes widened underneath his finned helmet when the bullet left a visible crack on his aura as it was struck.  _'What the heck…?'_

"Again!" Searchman fired a second bullet, this one managing to shatter Forte's aura completely. Searchman must have anticipated this outcome, as the Navi immediately followed his attack up with several more rounds of gunfire, but Forte was not unprepared, either. Raising his undamaged hand, the dark Navi obliterated all of the oncoming bullets with a single blast from his palm. Searchman jumped out of the way when he saw Forte's attack headed directly towards him, the impact shaking the area slightly.

"...You aim well, I'll give you that." Forte acknowledged as he nodded towards the Navi. "...But it won't be of much use if you couldn't see!"

Forte raised his left hand and concentrated energy into his palm, then compressing it. Not giving Searchman any time to react, the dark Navi hurled the compressed ball of energy towards the Navi moments before it imploded on itself, creating a bright flash of flight that washed throughout the area. Forte's finned helmet provided a shadowed backdrop that shielded his own eyes from the blast, and the dark Navi allowed himself a small, petty grin when he heard Searchman cursing as the light blinded him temporarily.

The instant the light started to fade, Forte rushed in with his counter attack. Another swirl of wild energy quickly manifested in his palm as the Navi leapt towards his blinded opponent. "Enough games! This is the end of you!"

"Guh- Don't underestimate me!" Though Searchman was still visibly recoiling from his forcefully-induced blindness, the Navi could hear the Black Shadow charging towards him, if the dark Navi's voice and the crackling of discharge energy was of any indication. "You may have blinded me… But that doesn't mean I can't still aim!"

Quickly analyzing the data from his audio feedback, Searchman raised his scope once more, just as Forte was about to close the distance between them and obliterate the Navi in front of him completely-

"That is enough! Seize this madness this instant!"

Both Navies froze. Searchman's scope was aimed directly at Forte's neck, while the barely suppressed energy was still buzzing against Searchman's head. Both Navies took a quick moment to assess their current situation, before Searchman spoke. "Who's there?"

There was a puff of smoke, and Shadowman stepped out from within the shadows. "Seize your foolish fighting. This Navi is not your enemy." He said, addressing the Navi.

Searchman blinked several times as his vision slowly started to return to him, before a flicker of recognition flashed through his eyes. "...You're the Blue Myth's subservient."

Shadowman acknowledged it with a curt nod. "The Navi you are looking for is merely someone who has taken on the image of the Black Shadow. The Black Shadow himself is not the one responsible for the spread of Dark Chips in your area."

Forte narrowed his eyes slightly when Shadowman gave him a quickly glare- Forte could almost hear the  _"At least, not directly"_  that the shadow Navi had neglected to say.

"..." Searchman appeared to contemplate Shadowman's words for a moment. "Why are you helping him? He is not the friend of your mistress. Shouldn't you oppose him as he does your mistress?" Searchman questioned him.

"I am no friend of his." Shadowman agreed. "But I cannot allow my discontent towards him cannot overshadow my rationality. He is not the Navi responsible for the spread of Dark Chips in Sharo."

Searchman still appeared somewhat hesitant, but the Navi did willingly lower his scope. He stepped away from Forte, and the dark Navi dissipated the swirling mass of energy as the two Navies continued regarding the other with weary unease.

"Then… If it is not him…" Searchman frowned at Forte. "Who is responsible for the crimes committed in my region?"

"I have my own suspicions." Shadowman said. "Tell me what has transpired in your region, and I shall tell you what I know."


	259. Chapter 213

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Not really liking the fact that our group has until 10April to finish a video project and all of the other guys and still ghosting on me. Also, reminders to get any questions you have for the special 1 year anniversary video in!

"Wh...what is this…?"

"W-we're not sure, sir!" One of the NetNavies on his team stuttered, and Searchman couldn't say he blamed him; The sight before them was something out of a horror movie; A large group of Navies were slowly moving towards them, though unlike the group of criminals that Searchman was expecting, the Navies gazes were all hollow and glazed over- As if they themselves were not aware of what was happening.

"W-we've run their serial codes through the system's database, sir!" The Navi continued, keeping his buster trained on the approaching Navies, but holding his fire. "Th-there's not a single criminal record! These Navies are all civilians!"

"Civilians?" Searchman narrowed his eyes. "Why are civilian's causing mayhem in the cyberworld?"

"No idea, sir!" The Navi appeared to shiver. "Oh god, they look wrong, though. Something doesn't look right with them…"

As the group of Navies reached the barricade the team had deployed, one of the Navies grabbed onto the structure with both hands, before hurling it aside as if it was nothing. There were several audible gasped among the team as the barricade collided with a nearby structure with a loud  _bang_ , reducing it to nothing more than piles of broken data.

"Th-they're closing in, sir!" The Navi said, his voice rigid with nervousness. "Should we open fire?"

"Not yet." Though Searchman could see the blatant danger coming up ahead, the Navi wasn't sure how he felt about opening fire on a group of civilian NetNavies. Raising his scope, the Navi loaded it with one of his custom ammunition, before aiming it at the approaching Navies. "Do not fire until I give the order." He reminded his team.

The other Navies were visibly disturbed, but all of them stood down, only shuffling backwards when it seemed like one of the civilian Navies were in grabbing range from them. "S-sir?" The Navi next to him was beginning to get understandably perturbed. Still, Searchman held his ground. He kept his breathing steady as he waited for the perfect opening-

' _Now!'_

He took his shot, the bullet landing directly in the center of the group. As it collided with the ground, a burst of discharge energy was released, creating a static field that shocked all of the Navies within its area of effect. There was a series of screams and shrieks as the civilian NetNavies were all shocked, though they all quickly collapsed, one after another as they fell unconscious from the blast. The field of energy gave another crackle, before sizzling out into nothing.

"It's- It's over…?" There was a momentary pause, before one of the other Navies lowered his buster slightly to get a better look at the pile of fallen Navies.

"..." Searchman lowered his scope as well. He gestured to the other Navies on his team. "Something isn't right with this group of Navies- We need to bring them in so the research lab can have a look at them."

"Yes, sir!" The Navies said in unison. Lowering their weapons, the team started making their way towards the downed Navies. Searchman had thought nothing of it at first, though something on his scanners beeped, and the Navi quickly yelled out to the rest of the team for their attention. "Wait- Danger approaching! Fall back!"

The Navies heard his warning, but by then it was too late; The floor beneath them was obliterated completely as a ball of flame descended from above. Searchman, having been at the far edge of the blast, was knocked back, crashing into a nearby wall, but the rest of the NetNavies were all incinerated in an instant; It had happened with such swift finality that Searchman found himself still reeling as his vision cleared and the fire had started to sizzle out.

The realization of what happened finally set in, and Searchman couldn't help but widen his eyes in shock.  _'This is horrible- Who could have done this?'_

Then, from within the flickering embered, he saw two figures emerge. They seem to be conversing with each other.

"Is that it?" The Navi with the finned helmet spoke. "I would have thought the officials from Sharo would have been… Well, more  _entertaining_."

"It is to be expected, master." The other figure was talking now, this one with the wicked ears. "None of them can compare even to a fraction of your power."

"Hm." The first figure seemed pleased by this. "I suppose that it true."

"Who are you?" Searchman managed to yell out towards the two figures once he had gotten the air back into his lungs. The two figures turned to look at him.

"...This one still lives." The one with the pointed ears spoke. "Shall I do the honors, my master?"

Searchman narrowed his eyes as the figure approached. He began reaching for his scope.

"Hold on."

The Navi with the wicked ears stopped dead in his tracks. Looking back over, the second Navi stalked forward, pushing the first Navi out of the way as he passed him. A set of deep amethyst eyes were staring down at him.

"Do you not know who I am?"

The dust finally seemed to settle, and Searchman barely managed to suppress as gasp as he registered the Navi responsible for all of this destruction. "You're… The Black Shadow…!"

The Navi smirked, his grin crooked. "The one and only."

The initial shock he felt was fleeting, being quickly replaced by incomprehensible rage instead; This Navi had just deleted his whole team, along with the rest of the civilian NetNavies without even a drop of remorse…!

" _How dare you…!_ " Hissing, Searchman raised his scope and fired blindly. The Navi swore he had struck the other multiple times, but the only reaction he seemed to get from the Navi was a chuckle of amusement.

"Finally done?" Searchman's scope clicked as he fired the last remaining rounds. "Well then, it's my turn…"

Before Searchman could react, he felt an incredible force struck him from the side, flinging him across the floor. He wheezed and coughed as he finally skidded to a halt, the force from the blow wracking his mind.

"Like I said before- Absolutely pathetic!" He could only faintly hear the muffled sounds of the Navi's speech through ringing ears. "I tire of this nonsense! I'll allow you to live, but don't even think about finding me- If you do, I might just get annoyed enough to finish the job!"

When Serachman finally recovered full functionality of his senses, the Navi realized that he was alone,the surrounding wreckage the only thing accompanying him.


	260. AUWEITSBR3 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I had the weirdest dream last night. I was dreaming that I was writing LGOTN, but sonic, and Sonic was sent back 50 years to the ark before Shadow was captured by GUN. And then I got to that part where Sonic saved Maria from being shot by GUN, and I thought to myself, "Wow, this is so weird.", and I raised my eyebrows up so high that I ended up opening my eyes and waking up.

Forte woke up with a start. The Navi groaned, rubbing the back of his head as he struggled to sit up, the dull ache at the back of his mind not quite faded yet.

"Shit… What happened?" He mumbled to himself, not knowing why his systems were having such a hard time booting back up. Then, as his memory files finally went online, Forte jumped to his feet instantly, recalling what had happened before passing out. He scanned the immediate area around him for any dangers and, to his relief, there was none to be found.

To his dismay, however, the Navi wasn't able to tell where he current was, either.

"That asshole must have sent me here with his weird portal tricks…" Forte mused to himself. His surroundings was not like any cyberworld area he had ever seen before. In fact, it seemed to resemble a combination of wastelands and deserts, both landscapes found in the human world instead.

The Navi frowned. Hadn't the Navi said something about a certain place before he was swallowed by the portal? What was it called again…?

"...Hm?" Forte's internal musings were interrupted when the Navi's sharp ears picked up the sounds of shuffling sand, steadily approaching him. It sounded like multiple footsteps. Deducing that the footsteps probably belonged to other NetNavies, Forte remained where he was as he waited for it to reach him; It would save him the trouble of having to go and search for help on his own.

As Forte had predicted, several figures emerged over one of the small sand dunes in the distance. It was clear that the Navies had noticed his presence too, if them actively walking towards him was of any indication at all.

Once they had gotten close, the group appeared to hesitate and stop at what they determined to be a safe distance from Forte, and Forte supposed it was fair; It wasn't like he wasn't suspicious of these NetNavies, too. After a momentary pause, one of the Navies approached him once more.

"Y… You're new here, aren't you?" The Navi asked him, his voice wary.

Forte wasn't too sure what the Navi had meant, but he nodded, anyways. "Can you tell me where I am?"

Upon hearing his answer, the Navi sighed, his posture now visibly less rigid and alert. His three companions behind him seemed to relax as well.

"You're in the Undernet…" The Navi told him.

Ah, yes. The Undernet. That was what the Navi had said, wasn't it? "What're the Underent?"

"You don't know…?" The Navi seemed to said this first part moreso to himself than to Forte. "...The Undernet is… Well, the Undernet is where all the unwanted data go…"

"Unwanted?" That made Forte raise an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"...Don't you get it?" The Navi looked both exasperated and distraught at the same time. "The Undernet is where humans send their unwanted NetNavies, and the Underent is brutal- Harsh terrain, natural disasters and hostile viruses everywhere. Most Navies end up deleted shortly after they're thrown into the Undernet…"

Forte frowned. Well, that was concerning. It would seem he'd have to be on high alert constantly if he wanted to survive his stay in the Undernet. And there was also that part about NetNavies being abandoned in the Undernet… "Is that what happened to you?"

The Navi's solemn silence told Forte everything he needed to know, and he couldn't help but feel bad for the group of Navies in front of him; They seemed like they were hating every single moment of their functioning lives right now.

"Isn't there a way back to the common net?" Forte asked. Even if the Navies were abandoned, at least the common net would be a less hazardous environment to be in.

The navi shook his head, distraught. "No, there isn't- Don't you understand? There's no hope for us- It's impossible to return to the surface net. We're all doomed to deletion here. There's no hope for any of us."

The idea of being trapped in the Undernet wasn't comforting to Forte at all- The unknown Navi was most likely still lingering around in SciLabs, possibly sabotaging SciLabs' systems, and who knows how long Forte had been passed out for? He had to go back before something terrible could happen. "Are you sure they isn't a single way back to the common net?" He insisted.

"Didn't you just hear me?" The Navi was agitated now. "It's hopeless! We either find a way to survive- Or we get deleted! There's no other way! It's as simple as that!"

"Hey, enough chit-chat!" One of the other Navies standing several steps away yelled out to his companion. "Just get to the point already!"

The Navi in front of Forte winced, falling quite. He offered Forte what seemed to be a genuinely apologetic look, before saying, "We're going to need to take all of your spare Battle Chip data."

The sudden demand caught Forte off guard. "What?"

"Give us all your spare Battle Chip data or we'll delete you, punk!" Another Navi from behind them yelled.

Realizing what they were after, Forte clutched the side of his head and sighed. "I don't have any spare Battle Chip data." Being an independent NetNavi, Forte had no use for Battle Chip data. All of his battle data were built-in and fully customized, and Forte doubted the group of Navies would have much use for his battle data, even if he were to hand it to them.

"He's lying!" It was another Navi from the group at the back. The Navi in front of him was visibly panicking now.

"Listen, don't make this harder on any of us." The Navi told him quickly. "Just give us the chip data you have, and we'll leave you alone. They're going to delete you if you don't."

"I don't have any on me." Forte told him again. It was the truth.

"Alright, that's it." One of the other Navies had stepped forward now, his buster raised. "If that's how you wanna do it- Fine! We'll delete you and take your chip data off your cold, dead body!"

Forte wasn't one of SciLabs' best digital security consultants for nothing- He saw the attempted attack coming from a mile away, and sidestepped out of the way even before the Navi could fire his buster, the energy shot passing by him harmlessly. Forte then ran forward, raising his fist and punched his attacker across the face before he could retaliate, knocking the Navi out completely. The two other Navies paused in stunned silences, before they reacted.

"He's a fighter!" One of the other Navies said as he summoned his weapon too, this one a sword. "Get him!"

The two remaining Navies charged him at once, but Forte wasn't concerned in the slightest. Crouching down, Forte quickly swiped one of the Navies' legs out from underneath him, causing him to fall onto the ground in pain, before quickly leaping back up, and striking the other Navi who had the sword in his chest, sending him flying backwards in a heap. When he returned back to the Navi who had approached him initially, he found him cowering in absolute fear.

"I-I'm so sorry! I j-just did wh-what they t-told me too!" The Navi began begging frantically when he saw Forte walking towards him. "P-please don't kill me! I- I don't want to die!"

"I just need a way back to the common net." Forte told him.

The Navi just stared at him, though he seemed to be actively considering Forte's question this time. He opening his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Instead, the Navi's face went pale, before he whispered. " _Oh no…_ "

The other Navies have recovered by this point, but instead of attempting to engage Forte again, they all appeared to have unanimously took notice of…  _Whatever_  it was that was happening as they all fled in terror.

Forte looked around. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary, expect for the strange, azure lights that had now miraculously appeared in the sky.

"What're you staring at?!" Forte turned. The Navi from before was now staring at him in complete disbelief. "Are you dumb?! The Blue Calamity will kill you if you just stand there?"

"What?" His words and apparent panic just served to make Forte more confused. "What Blue Calamity?"

The Navi had already fled. Forte sighed as he turned back to the strange lights, but he couldn't help the growing unease when he seemed to feel the ground beneath him start to shake and rumble somewhat.

...Actually, now that he was actually paying attention, the light appeared to be consuming everything in its path, grinding up the earth into nothing more than grains of dust. It was then that Forte decided that he probably should have taken the Navi's advice to flee.

Forte turned on his heels and ran, but the light quickly caught up to him. The last thing he remembered was being consumed by absolutely brightness.


	261. Chapter 214

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm actually not really happy with this chapter, because it feels a bit too rushed, but at the same time, I also didn't want to put in several more "filler" chapters into the mix, because I felt we already have enough of these chapters without actually seeing anything from the Dark Soul himself. I also wanted to have Forte be less on the back burner in the story, so after this encounter, we'll start to see more chapters with him, or from his point of view. Hopefully, you guys will look forward to that.

"Huh." Sean mused out loud after hearing Swallowman recount the entire story. "So whatever the Dark Soul's been doing, it's effects are now being felt outside of Den City as well…"

"Sean, can't you track the Dark Soul any quicker?" Netto frowned. He didn't want to come across as pushy, but every time the group heard or learnt something new about the Dark Soul and its powers, it seems that the extent of its destructive nature grew! "We have to stop it before it gets out of hand!"

"Believe me- I'm doing the absolute best I can! And for once, I mean that completely unironically!" Sean rolled his eyes, sighing. "You have any idea how annoying it is with the net police staring down your back at every moment? I almost regret taking community service if I know this is what it would entail!"

Enzan narrowed his eyes. "Touche."

"So… What happened afterwards?" Hub turned his attention towards the Undernet Navies, still curious. "Did Searchman just… leave? After you explained everything to him?"

"Yeah, kind of." Swallowman shrugged. "It was like he was in a hurry, anyways, so he just up and left." At this, Swallowman's feathers bristled. "And can you believe the jerk? Asshole didn't even bother helping me out of the rubble when he was the one who put me in their the first place! What a jackass!"

"Right…"

Hub snorted to conceal his laughter. Swallowman looked hurt at the boy's reaction. He turned to Swallowman. "Y'know what, Shadz? I love you and all for getting me out of that pile, but you know what I would have loved more? If you'd just stepped in from the start and stopped that bullet maniac from starting all of this in the first place!"

Shadowman glance at him. "I do not understand what you mean."

"C'mon! You know  _exactly_  what I mean!" Swallowman insisted. "I mean, you straight up disappeared moments before bullet hell guy appeared! If you know you could've swayed him, why didn't you do so before he could've done all that crazy shit?"

This time, Shadowman turned his head towards Forte, staring the dark Navi directly in the eye.

"I do not understand what you mean." Shadowman repeated.

For a moment, Swallowman looked as if he was about to say something else, but he seemed to have caught onto something, judging from Shadowman's reaction. The bird Navi just sighed, relented and ruffled his feathers once more. "Fine. Whatever."

"Sean." Enzan appeared to have enough of the useless bantering. "How long would be be before you can track down the Dark Soul?"

Sean's lips pursed. The boy spun in his office chair, turning to face the white-haired boy, fully preparing to shoot back with whatever retort he had in mind before a beeping sound had come from his laptop, getting his attention. Curious, Sean reached for his laptop, clicking over several things before he raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Huh." Sean said, after a brief moment of silence. "It's funny how these things work out."

* * *

The Dark Soul was relishing in the screams of NetNavies as another ball of energy had sent one of the data paths crumbling into nothing more than dust, throwing the NetNavies that had been on it tumbling into the abyss below. Shademan didn't interfere, the bat Navi merely watching on from the sidelines. While the Dark Soul's initial demands for entertainment were admittedly difficult to keep up with, Shademan made no objections- Mostly because that meant the Dark Soul had remained in relative hiding within the Undernet, close to where the gates of the Undernet were for when his Master had finally deemed it time to open them. However, as of late, it seemed that the Dark Soul had taken on more… direct and hands-on means to fulfill its sadistic need for chaos, if the Dark Soul's attack on Sharo's area had been of any indication.

Again, Shademan had remained quite; Mostly because he was powerless to stop the Dark Soul, even if he wanted to, so it was just much better for him to go along with what the Dark Soul wanted- But when his master decided to turn his sights on Den City's common net however, Shademan did start to worry.

Still, he did not want to come across as, well, a subservient who doubted his master's abilities. Shademan picked his words carefully. "Master… Isn't this drawing quite a bit of attention…?"

"So?" The Dark Soul was barely paying any attention towards him as he fired another blast, this one striking a nearby building and bringing it down. "Is that a problem?"

"Er- No! Of course there isn't a problem, my Master." Shademan quickly backtracked. "B-but… Why this area, Master?" It was were the group of meddling fools resided. And of course, it was where they had ran into the Black Shadow initially-

"No reason." The Dark Soul sighed, looking somewhat annoyed with Shademan's pestering. "It doesn't matter where chaos reigns, as long as there are Navies suffering."

"..."

Shademan groaned internally, but made sure to keep his outward expression neutral as he watched the Dark Soul continue to reign terror on any Navies unfortunate enough to invoke his ire. The bat Navi had been about to resign himself back to passive observation, before he noticed that something had caught the sudden grin on the Dark Soul's expression- Something had caught his Master's attention.

"...Well…" The Dark Soul said, ominously. "Perhaps there  _is_  one reason."

Shademan was surprised. But before he could even ask the Dark Soul for clarification, he heard the familiar crackling of discharge energy swiftly approaching them from behind, and the bat Navi flew backwards with an undignified squawk. The Dark Soul didn't bother ducking out of the way of the blast. Instead, with an amused, crooked smirk on its face, he merely swung his hand at the attack, the ball of energy dispersing upon impact. The Dark Soul dissipated the resulting smoke with another simple flick of his hands, and his smirk took on a deranged look when he saw the Navi that had attempted to attack it.

"Well, well, well…" The Dark Soul's eyes seemed to glimmer as he watched the Navi approach. "To what do we owe the Black Shadow's presence?"


	262. Chapter 215

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I really hate this. It's the 6th. We need to hand in our project on the 10th. Where are all my groupmates. I hate this.

Forte scowled, nearly growling when he saw the dark soul maintaining its wicked grin. The sight was only rendered even more insulting when the dark soul had taken on  _his_  likeness to mock him.

Without thought, he fired another Earth Breaker directly at the dark soul. This time, his doppelganger side stepped out of the way, his cloak slightly singed as the blast shot past him.

"Heh." The dark soul seemed to be laughing at his attempt to harm it. It's gaze fell upon him in amusement. "You seem perturbed… Is something the matter?"

"..." It took all of Forte's will power not to just hurl another Earth Breaker directly in his doppelganger's face. "Where is he?"

" _He?_ " The dark soul actually pretended to ponder his question, before coming to mock realization. "Oh- You mean your supposed arch-nemesis? Don't worry, he's safe. I haven't done anything with him…  _yet-_ "

The dark soul had to jerk its entire body to the side when a wave of discharge energy shot past it, aimed directly for its head. This time, Forte's attack had managed to cut the dark soul slightly, though even then, its visible expression merely turned to one of mild annoyance. "Really, now? I thought we were trying to have a civil conversation."

The voice at the back of Forte's mind was screeching;  _Kill him. Tear him apart. Rip him to shreds-_

No. As much as he wanted to, Forte barely managed to convince himself that he couldn't just blast his doppleganger to bits; He still had no idea to Mega's whereabouts, and as much as he hated it, the dark soul was his best chance at finding the other Navi. Instead of a swift deletion, Forte was going to have to beat that information out of the dark soul.

That, Forte was less sour about. He'd been itching to smash the dark soul's face in ever since his first rather humiliating encounter with it- The dark Navi had been telling himself that the only reason he'd allowed himself to be bested was because the dark soul had caught him off guard. It would not happen a second time.

Forte raised his hand towards the dark soul and fired another ball of energy at it. This time, instead of avoiding it, his lookalike merely swatted it away with a flick of his wrist, its expression finally twisting into an ugly scowl.

"Fine. If that's how you want this to go, then so be it!"

Then, before Forte could react, the dark soul had fired a close ranged Earth Breaker directly at him. The Navi activated his Dream Aura on instinct, but the collision from the attack his jolted him, even though his aura had sustained the brunt of the force.

Forte cursed internally. What was the thing that brat had mentioned again? That dark souls fed off negative energy…?

With an unsettling yell, the dark soul charged at Forte with some sort of strange weapon the Navi had never seen before- It appeared to be a crooked blade, set ablaze with wild, amethyst energy. Suspecting that something was amiss, the Forte did make an effort to dodge of out the line of fire, and the Navi's eyes widened ever so slightly in alarm when the blade had sliced directly through his Dream Aura, practically rendering it useless.

Realizing that he had to recoup, Forte leapt back, but the dark soul was hell bent on slicing him in half- Its eyes blazing a bright shade of purple, the dark soul had leapt after him as it swung its wicked blade once more- This time aiming for the Navi's neck.

"Careful!"

A large shuriken was shot in between the two lookalikes, blocking the wicked blade moments before impact. The dark soul recoiled slightly, though it looked more annoyed than shocked when Shadowman appeared in a puff a smoke, his sword raised, preparing to strike.

"Whee-hee-hee!"

There was the sound of crunching metal when swift claws make down onto Shadowman, knocking him out of the air entirely. The shadow Navi reeled, wincing when he was sent colliding into a nearby building. His weapon had been knocked out of his hands when he was struck, so the Navi had quickly summoned another large shuriken and lodged it into the side of the building to prevent himself from falling further.

"Whee-hee-hee!" Shadowman could already tell who the Navi that had countered hs attack was without looking upwards. "Trying to strike my Master while his guard is down? That doesn't seem very honorable, does it?"

Shadowman remained quiet as he watched Shademan carefully, the bat Navi suspended in mid air with several dark, bat-like shadows flickering around him. Even though he did not show it, Shadowman knew that his situation was less than idea; the Naiv was far from durable, and he mostly relied of stealth and surprise to bring down his opponents. Not only was he cover blown, he also had a substantial wound from where Shademan had slashed him with his claws.

He needed to play it safe- Search for an opening for a counter attack, lest he risk himself sustaining another wound that would leave him crippled or immobile.

"You'll be punished for you insolence!" Shademan spread both his wings wide. "Noise Crush!"

Shadowman lept, just as Shademan's noise wave collided into the building, nearly obliterating half of the entire structure in its wake. As Forte watched the carnage below, the Navi found himself rather conflicted.

Ever since Mega's disappearance, it was no secret that Shadowman had grown to despise him. The shadow Navi had blamed Forte for what happened to Mega, and, to a certain extent, Forte found himself agreeing with the other Navi.

But, regardless of how Shadowman felt about him, the Navi still jumped to his aid when it was really needed, and Forte acknowledged that, even if he wasn't sure how to feel about it himself.

"No more distractions." The dark soul was speaking again, its expression now unreadable. "You want to fight? Then have at you!"

* * *

"Look! They're up there!"

X had spotted the two "Black Shadow"s above the central area of the Internet City first. He quickly motioned for the rest of the NetNavies to follow.

"There's no way we can get up there." Zero frowned. None in their group knew how to levitate, expect for maybe…

At this, Zero turned to Swallowman. "Are you going to help them?"

"Me?" The bird Navi seemed surprised. "You want me to fly up there, with one of my wings like this?" Swallowman seemed to make an attempt to flutter his wings. As if to prove his point, his broken wing just flopped about lazily. "I'd be blasts into bits before I can even get near them!"

Zero cursed, but he didn't argue. Swallowman was right. There was no way the bird Navi could even approach Forte or the dark soul in his condition. "There must be something we can do!"

"There is." The Navies all turned to Blues, confused- He had remained silent thus far. "We need to cut this area off and evacuate any civilians still in the area."

"...Huh?" Zero blinked. "Wha-"

A loud explosion cut him off, and Zero abruptly realized that it must have been caused by another blast from Shademan's Noise Crush.

"They've barely started, and they've already wrecked such havoc on the Internet City." Blues' expression was unreadable. "If we can't stop them, we have to at least minimize the damage they'll cause to the cyberworld."

"Right!" X nodded in agreement. "Then there's no time to waste! We'll go into the city to look for any NetNavies still trapped inside!"

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Stalker](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16381721) by [TheNightWatcher](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheNightWatcher/pseuds/TheNightWatcher)




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